Stay
by ArrowBee
Summary: Based on the song 'Stay' by Mayday Parade, Misaki asks Takumi to meet her. Rated T for coarse language and (semi-)mature content. Contains references to alcohol. Genres include: Romance, Family. Chapter 14: 「STEADFAST HOPE」 uploaded. 06/12/17 YES IT'S A QUICK UPDATE.
1. Prologue

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

Fic based on Stay by Mayday Parade [I'm getting LSS that's why]. What do you young kids call it? A songfic? Lmao, well hope you guys enjoy this!

* * *

 **Prologue**

* * *

Takumi smiled as he waited for her in the park. She never, well, she barely asked him to meet her. It would usually be the other way around: he would be trying to convince her to go out with him for a little stroll or anything like that, but today...

 _ **My cute maid:**_ _Usui, meet me in the park at around 7pm._

It was snowing. Not a single thing in sight was not covered in white, and this only reminded him of her. His entire existence revolved around that one person that no matter where he looked, he would always remember the person whom he loved the most.

 _'Ah, Misa-chan. So sly.'_

Little kids were running around throwing snowballs at each other, and all of them were drowning in exhilaration. A young raven-haired girl was being chased by a brunet of the same age, only for her to run into the young man without even knowing it. Takumi knelt down at her and offered his hand.

"Are you okay?"

For some reason, he never really cared about any other person besides his girlfriend and her family. But this child just became an exception.

She narrowed her eyes at his hand and turned away, blandly rejecting his aid. "Yeah, I'm fine alright!" She stood up and brushed her coat and pants.

"Hikari-chan, are you okay?" The brunet came and asked her.

Just then, a young blond came and roughly pushed the other male away. "It's your fault why she fell, you cry-baby."

More kids came rushing to 'Hikari' and one of them, just younger, looked a lot like her. "Quit being so hard on him, Takaki-kun." She glared at the blond before taking the brown-haired's hand in hers. "Come on, and stop crying Yutaro. Don't feel bad. 'Nee-chan's fine, her boyfriend's there."

"But Shizuka..." The teary-eyed brunet was dragged by the apathetic girl who looked like Hikari.

The so-called Takaki smirked a little, before walking away impassively.

"Shizu, h-he's not my b-boyfriend!"

And before Hikari knew it, a snowball landed her on the head.

"WHO THREW THA–"

"Ne, Hika-chan. If you can hit me with a snowball, then that means I'm not your boyfriend!" The young blond shouted from afar.

"Oh yeah?! O'course I'll hit you, you weird thing!"

Usui Takumi watched as the whole scene unfolded in front of him. Hikari reminded him of Misaki. Not to mention the other kids who deemed themselves to be their younger doppelgängers. He was frozen, not by the cold, but by what had occured.

 _Ahem._

He turned his head to see her, only to be immediately bothered about something. It was either the fact that she didn't seem to have that burning aura surrounding her, or the fact that she looked, no– she was inscrutable.

Takumi stood up. He was troubled by the distance between them. Or maybe because she wasn't wearing the scarf that he gave her. Either way, he was not happy with the situation.

"So, Ayuzawa?"

Her voice was dark and cold. "Usui."

She bit her lower lip and looked away. "I have something to ask of you."

Takumi felt his stomach drop. She _never_ asked him of anything. Nevertheless, he kept a stoic expression on as he thought of what she would say next.

"Hmm?"

"Please understand, if I see you again, don't even say hello."


	2. Chapter 1: I need some time

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

Hiyo my bees! Fast update bc I felt like it ˉ̞̭(′͈∨‵͈ )˄̻ ̊ I feel so sweet~ lmfao

Haha, **MissKireiUchiha** I didn't even intend for that lmaoo :P I guess it came off like that but lol I was just really feely and I wanted to see the song written out as my personal interpretation of it. And thank youuu! You're so sweet :) To **BluberryRose** Thank you Kyra-chan! And don't worry just yet. I'm gonna cook up a fluffy fic just for you :D **Juliastes** thanks for that btw! I shall make the changes as soon as I reread it :) and **Takumisa17** and **LisaXShun** thanks guys! Here's Ch1. And you'll fine out soon :P S/o to all who reviewed/favourited/followed!

Hope you guys like this :)

* * *

 **Chapter 1: I need some time**

* * *

 _Five years later..._

Takumi stared nonchalantly at the coquettish woman before him.

"Listen, Takumi, I know that you're interested in me." She batted her fake eyelashes before stooping low to 'unintentionally' show her cleavage. She poked his chest with her long painted nail. "No need to hold back from me you know."

"Hmm, Jennifer right?" He cocked his head to the side. "Or should I say _Mrs._ Nietzsche? Either way, I am not interested in you nor am I turned on by your usual visits to my building. Me and your husband are business partners, and even if we weren't..."

He stood up from his seat. With the expression of an untamable beast, Usui Takumi could easily kill anyone with his glares, and so in a fit of horror, she backed away, but to be stopped by a table. He put his hands on the desk– his hands almost touching the side of her thighs– so that he was trapping her in between him and the piece of furniture. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

He bent down, only to whisper in her ear. "You fu–cking repel me." He smiled in her cheek as her eyes snapped open the moment he had let his words out. "You really are so low, _Mrs._ Nietzsche."

She pushed him away in frustration. "Damn it, Walker! I don't know what the hell your problem is, but I know you're darn well interested in me. I swear to you and your stupid minions, I can and will make you make love to me!"

 _"I can and will make you make love to me!"_

"Great. Now that I have this record", Takumi lifted up a small voice recorder, "I can finally cut off ties with–"

Her eyes were struck with fear. "N-No, Takumi, please. I'll leave you alone, I swear. Just please don't show that to Friedrich."

"Then get out of my fucking building."

The blonde lady huffed in defeat before proceeding to slam the door. She finally left his office.

He sighed as he took a box of cigarettes from his desk. "Ah, they're over."

He took a spare fag from his coat pocket and lit it up.

Looking out of his full-view window as he blew rings of smoke, he watched the snow fall. It took him back to five years ago. Shaking his head, he took a glass and poured some Jack Daniel's into it, downing all the thoughts he had of her.

 _Ring ring_

"Mr. Walker, you have a meeting with–"

"Cancel it. I have some important business to attend to." _'I need some time, please.'_

"But Mr. Walker, it's–"

"Ms. Lorna?" _'I need... her... Misaki...'_

"Yes, Sir?"

"Find me a new secretary and put your things in boxes." _'Please...'_

She was speechless with fear. "Sir, I-I didn't mean to– I apologise for–"

He insensitively interrupted her. "Either that or you tell whoever that bastard is to reschedule the meeting."

"R–Right away, Mr. Walker."

After the call had ended, he laughed at himself. "Oh, you're such an asshole. That's why she–"

He punched his jaw to stop himself from continuing.

He walked to his door and locked it. Drawing the curtains close, he threw his coat to a corner as he unbuttoned his shirt and then slipped off his shoes.

Usui Takumi downed his whole glass and then tried to throw it in the bin. He missed. The glass shattered into countless pieces.

The blond shook his head. "Ah, shit. That was the eighth one today." Takumi swigged almost half of the bottle in one go. It burned his throat. He panted for relief.

His head was swirling with thoughts about her.

 _'Why, Ayuzawa? Why would you come into my life just to fix and break me?'_

Takumi could feel his hot tears making their way down his cheeks. He ripped his shirt apart. The male hated himself even more for asking that.

 _'You sick bastard. Stop shitting yourself. You don't regret having your heart being torn apart by her. Like she said, she has nothing to do with you anymore. She fell in love with–'_

He took another swig at the drink before he let his eyes close.

* * *

"'Kaa-chan!"

Misaki laughed before pulling him into her arms and swirling around in circular motion.

"How was school, _Kyo-kun?"_

The little boy laughed at the honorific as she set him down. "Well, it was great. We learned how to subtract today! We also had a snowball fight in recess and Kyo had fun!"

Suddenly, he pulled her down, and tip-toeing, he whispered into her ear. "We also have a new girl student." He motioned for her to look at a girl somewhere not far from them.

The girl had sandy blonde hair that reached halfway down her back. She saw Kyo looking at her, who immediately sported a blush after he saw her glare at him. She poked her tongue out at him, not caring whether the adult with him was watching her as well.

"She's kinda mean to boys and she said that she didn't need my help when the teacher asked me to help her, but I still find her really cute and pretty."

Misaki pretended to frown sadly at the little boy before her. "Hmm, seems that my Kyo has another girl in his life! Does Kyo not like me anymore?" She pouted.

He hugged her leg defensively. "No! No, of course! I love you so much and you're the best 'kaa-chan in the whole wide world!"

The raven-haired smiled. She took his schoolbag from him and carried it.

"Well, that's better. So, my little apricot, where do you want to go?"

The little brunet's Cheshire cat grin reached from ear to ear as he forgot about what they had been talking about. "Oh! Oh! Kyo wants to go to the zoo! My friends went to the zoo and they said that there were many big animals there! Kyo wants to go to U-Ueno Zoo in Tokyo!"

She looked sad for a moment, but the emotion was dismissed as she spoke. "Really now? But it's really cold and it's snowing everywhere!"

"Please! Please!"

"Are you sure, Kyo? I mean..." She looked at the little boy, only to see him on the edge of tearing up. His amber eyes were like a little pool of reflection of her own.

"But... But I thought 'Kaa-chan promised."

"Alright, let's call your dad then." She took her phone from her pocket and started tapping numbers on it. "Yosh, here he is."

"Hello?"

"Your cute son wants to talk to you!" Without waiting for a reply from him, Misaki gave the phone to Kyo.

"Konnichiwa, 'tou-san! Can I go to the zoo please?"

She watched the little boy walk around in circles as he spoke on the phone. Minutes later, he eagerly gave it back to her. "He says it's okay!" The boy whispered in excitement.

"Okay, let me just talk to him." She then ruffled his brown hair and gave him a quick pat on the head before turning around to speak in private.

"So?"

"I guess it's fine, Misaki. We don't really go out much", the man laughed nervously. "So maybe you guys could have a little stroll. Besides, you both get to have some 'Kaa-chan and Kyo-kun bonding", the man teased.

"Ha ha ha, very funny", she laughed sarcastically, although not rudely. "Well okay then, we'll be going now."

"Hai hai! See you guys later! Come home early, okay?"

"Yep. Bye Hinata!"

She turned to face the four-year-old. "So, now that daddy said yes, shall we go to the zoo?"

"Yay!" He beamed. "Come on, 'Kaa-chan! Let's go!"

* * *

 **Meanings**

'Kaa-chan – mom  
Konnichiwa – in this fic, it's good afternoon  
Yosh – okay  
'Tou-san – dad


	3. Chapter 2: To Ueno Zoo

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

Hiyo you sweet readers, I'm back! You guys make me so smiley! :DD

 **Juliastes,** I just realised my mistake, and it's a huge thanks to YOU! KYO IS FOUR YEARS OLD. HE'S FOUR AF TO EVERYONE WHO AREN'T IN THE LOOP. Also, Misaki and Takumi are 26 in this fic.

Anyways, glad to know that you guys are dying of curiosity X) Well, just stay tuned, ne? It'd suck a lot if the pacing was fast and if I spoiled it :P Well, thanks for the love and reviews!~ (omg I'm dancing in squares)

* * *

 **Chapter 2: To Ueno Zoo**

* * *

Takumi opened his eyes, only to see his ceiling going in circles. Her golden orbs were still fresh in his mind. He made a dash for the bathroom in his office.

After a good puking session, he stood in front of the mirror and stared at his reflection. His soft blond hair had been messier than before. His dress shirt was torn apart. His eyes were deader and duller than they have ever been.

"You look like shit."

Before correcting himself, he laughed at his own remark. "You– you're a piece of shit."

Sighing, Usui Takumi went over to his table and took the bottle of water sitting on his desk.

 _'What in the fuck is wrong with me?'_

He gargled and gargled and spat and puked.

 _'The CEO of Walker Corps. talks to himself and even calls his reflection a piece of shit. Kudos to you, oh great duke, for choosing a great successor.'_

His mouth was rotting of bile and shitty whiskey. But he didn't give a damn. He was used to it anyway.

The blond looked at his computer after getting himself dressed to check for some updates and things to approve of, only to find none. Maybe he still gave even a bit of a shit about his career. Maybe, he actually–

No.

Hell no.

He didn't give a shit about his career; he just needed something to stick his little head into, and it wasn't like he had a choice anyway.

Takumi rested his feet up on his desk and closed his eyes, breathing in the foul smell of cigarettes and whiskey that filled the air.

* * *

 _"Ueno Zoo. You have reached Ueno Zoo."_

With glowing eyes, Kyo eagerly pulled on Misaki's arm before running to the zoo's main gate.

She laughed, "Kyo-kun, wait for me!"

"Come on 'Kaa-chan! I want to see the animals! Come on!"

The raven-haired smiled at the little boy pointing at the big words that said "Ueno Zoo". He was a spitting image of Hinata when he was younger, except that he wasn't as chubby as the former.

Suddenly her phone rang. Her eyes widened at the sight of the caller's image, nevertheless, she answered the call in a heartbeat. "Oh hey Suzuna!"

 _"Konnichiwa, Misaki-nee. 'Nee-chan, Hinata said that Kyo was with you?"_

"Yup! He's with me and we're at Ueno Zoo right now!" _'Shit. Please don't kill me Suzu.'_

 _"'Nee-chan, why did you ask Hinata? He's such a bummer."_ She could feel her sister pouting through the phone.

"But then I felt like you were gonna say no since you're far away and all that." She crossed her fingers, praying to the gods that her little sister wouldn't start ranting at her.

 _"But-",_ Suzuna sighed. " _Well, you do have a point, Sis",_ she giggled. _"Tell Kyo that I'm missing him so much! And oh, I'm coming home tonight but the boys don't know. Hinata and Kyo would be so surprised, nee-chan!"_

Misaki 'phewed' a breath of relief. _'Storm avoided.'_ At least her sister didn't get mad. After all, she did whisk her sister's son away in all of a sudden without her permission, and Suzuna was an overprotective mother. "Really?! That's great!" Realising that her voice was loud from trying too hard, she lowered down and gestured for her nephew to wait a little. "Don't worry Suzuna. I won't tell them!"

 _"Well, see you then, Sis! Oh, and 'kaa-san doesn't know too so it's only you."_

"Right! Your secret's safe with me! Bye Suzu! See you soon!"

 _"Okay. Bye 'nee-chan."_

Misaki happily ended the call before running after her nephew.

"'Kaa-chan, what took you so long?"

"Your mom called me! She said that she missed you so much!"

The little boy's excited expression changed in all of a sudden. "I miss 'kaa-san so much." He looked up at her with hope. "When will she come back?"

The raven-haired was dying at that moment to spill the beans, but she bit the insides of her cheeks to control herself. "W-Well, let's just wish that she'll be back soon. How's that, Kyo?"

"Oh! Kyo would love that! Kyo read in a story book that if you wish upon a fountain, it will come true! Can we please please go to... to wherever a fountain is! Can we?"

"But what about the zoo? I thought–"

"Look! That big building! Kyo can see a big fountain inside! Come on, 'kaa-chan!"

He roughly pulled at her. He was beyond elated.

 _'Oh well, if that's what he wants.'_

"Alright then. But we can't stay for too long."

Misaki looked up at the building. It surely was way more grand compared to other infrastructures that surrounded it. Tall, glossy and beautifully amber. Elegant yet not too over the top. It was perfect. Sighing, she muttered to herself, "It must be some big office for those rich people who wipe their asses off with paper bills. What a life I wouldn't love to have."

The aunt and her nephew entered the building, and Misaki's impression of the skyscraper was immediately altered. _'_ _The owner of this building must be successful as heck.'_

It was like those palaces in movies. Chandeliers. Fancy people in fancy suits. Fresh flowers were here and there. And fancy people in fancy suits.

"Welcome to Walker Corporations. How may I be of any help to you?" The man spoke in perfect English.

 _Yes, fancy people in fancy suits. And they speak English!_

Misaki herself was actually fluent in the language, but she didn't want to seem conceited in a way, and so replied in Japanese. Besides, he looked Japanese. So what if he thought she couldn't be bilingual? Hell, she was a great and respectable diplomat. Not to mention the fact that she could actually speak multiple other langua–

 _Oh yes. That was right. Not conceited._

"Oh, um, me and my nephew just wanted to see that–", she pointed at the fountain. "T-The fountain. Is it okay?"

The man with slit-like eyes bowed and nodded, stretching his arms as if to give permission for her to go.

"Please call any of us for any assistance or inquiry that you might have. We hope that you would enjoy your stay."

Misaki smiled in thanks.


	4. Chapter 3: Where all water leads

**Kaichō wa Maid-Sama!**

Guess who's back! I've been really excited to share what I wrote these past few weeks, so updates just might get fastah. Thanks to all who reviewed/favourited/followed! You guys are my dancing queens~

Okay, I'll stop before things escalate from here.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Where all water leads**

* * *

Usui Takumi woke up gasping. His eyes were bloodshot; his body was quivering like a dry leaf in the wind. The blond leaned his head back on his chair, trying to calm his erratic heart.

 _'That dream again.'_

He took his phone before stripping himself down to nothing. He threw his torn Kiton K-50 in the bin, then proceeded to his bathroom where he laid his lean and toned body on the cold, marble bathtub. He raised his foot to turn the tap on.

 _'Oh how the water feels heavenly.'_

Feeling the water rise, Takumi positioned himself lower so that he may be buried by the icy water. After a minute or so, he broke out of his water prison and sucked in the cold air. He turned the tap off. _Too noisy._

Opening his eyes, he gazed at his office's beautiful bathroom.

It was grand, but not too grand. The kind of grand that'd take your breath away, but he gave no fucks about his possessions nonetheless. Everything had been boring to him. Tedious and pointless. Pointless and tedious. What was that line from that show– Bob's Burgers?

 _'Bland, boring Jessica. If she was a spice, she'd be flour.'_

Yes. For him, life was bland and boring. Bland and boring as shit.

He rolled his eyes before retreating to his icy kingdom.

* * *

 _[2 hours later]_

 _Ring ring_

He reached for the nearby towel, tied it around his waist, and grabbed his phone that was near the sink.

He spoke in his _hell-yeah-I'm-a-businessman_ voice, obscuring all past traces of him sleeping heavily in a bathtub.

"Takumi Walker speaking."

A nervous voice spoke, _"Good afternoon, Sir. I'm sorry to disturb you for the second time but Mr. Walker was persistent in meeting you. He requests that–"_

"Gerard?" he interrupted unconsciously, not meaning to speak his thoughts. _'If it's that old man, I swear...'_

 _"Y-Yes Sir. Mr. Gerard Walker is requesting you to meet–"_

"Is he there right now?"

 _"Yes Sir, he–"_

"Let me talk to him."

 _"How is my little–"_

Takumi massaged his temples in frustration. "Get to the point Gerard."

 _"Aww, but I've quite missed you and–"_

"I have no time for you Gerard. What do you want from me?" His voice was fierce and laced with agitation. Takumi gripped the handset in annoyance.

 _"Is that how you should speak to your big brother after being deprived of him for a long time? Well alright then. Meet me in the café near your building. I will be expecting you in the usual table in 10 minutes. Tops."_

"I'm not in the mood for–"

 _"You have less than 600 seconds counting, Takumi. Your loss."_

The blond ended the call and decided to do as his brother asked– no, indirectly commanded. His brother sure had the advantage this time.

After less than five minutes of making himself look like a CEO rather than a crying drunkard (which he actually was, mind you), he was out of his office.

He looked sharp. His blond hair was well kept; he didn't reek of liquor and smoke– he actually smelled great for someone who had a make-out session with a whiskey bottle. Well, baths sure can make miracles happen.

Takumi entered his elevator. In a few minutes, he was going to meet his brother who he hadn't seen for more than four years.

He sighed. Gerard was someone you just had to follow. He didn't know what his brother had in store for him; all he knew was that he would probably regret it if he didn't do as he was told.

 _'Your loss.'_ These words of his dear brother echoed in his mind.

 _'Prim and proper. Calm and in order.'_ Takumi chanted these words in his head. He remembered what it was like when he was younger; Miyazono Maria-sensei's mother would often repeat this to him when he didn't feel like doing what he didn't like. She said that it was somewhat like a charm to help him in times when he had to remind himself that he wasn't just an ordinary boy. That he was a duke's respectable grandson.

 _'Feh. What bull. Respectable my ass. An illegitimate one, Mrs. Miyazono,'_ he corrected her in his head.

Takumi felt like what his brother had to say was important; Gerard would never have bothered his little head in going all the way to Japan just to meet him. Or maybe he just really wanted to get under his skin.

 _'Yep, that's it.'_

He soon stepped out of his private elevator, only to be met by a certain someone who broke his tutor's charm.

 _And Takumi was taken back to the times when they were still together._

* * *

 **Writer-kun:** Sorry for the extremely short chapter! Don't worry though, I'll update soon, so don't go hunting me down just yet ;)

And oh, can anyone recommend a title for this chapter? Best suggestion gets the next chapter (or the next two chapters if I'm feeling buzzy– hehe, puns) before I post it here! Boring I know, but I just felt like it! Plus, you'll get a (future) surprise from me if your title gets chosen!

Well, tell me your thoughts on this one!

P.s. Y'all should really trust a TakuMisa shipper to not let the ship fall apart. Haha, of course Kyo-kun isn't Misa and Hinata's kid!


	5. Chapter 4: All that silence said

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

GUESS WHO'S BACK! It's been 2 weeks since I last updated, D: but I hope you guys will still be reading my fic! Anyways

 _CONGRATS TO_ **_Juliastes_** _FOR MY 3RD CHAPTER'S TITLE!_

Cus of that, she got this chapter (and will also be getting Chapter 5) earlier than you bees! :P Plus, she'll be getting a surprise from me (hur hur) in the future.

She has also helped me with my grammar like a LOT! Can you believe that 0.0 SHE'S SO COOLBEANS! Basically, she pretty much betaread (if that's what you call it) this chapter which is why I'm so thankful! Ily Juliastes-san!~ Thanks a ton!

Anyways, thanks to _Candy2045_ for participating; if you can reach out to me through PM, please do so! You'll also get something from meee! :D

My thanks extend to everyone who read+reviewed/favourited/followed! You guys have no idea how happy I am. Especially

 _Candy2045,_ **Vijju123, violet167, Takumisa17, Samara16, BluberryRose, Juliastes,** _Minniemiss123,_ and _Guest. (Psst! Sorry for the cliffhanger!)_

I am speechless. Much love.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: All that silence said**

* * *

 _"Please understand, if I see you again, don't even say hello."_

Time stopped for the both of them. The children's laughter was long forgotten, along with the flutter of the winter breeze and the hum of activity around them. All the blond heard was the deafening sound of his frantic heartbeat, slowly fading away until he could hear no longer. His insides churned, making him feel sick. Since then, Takumi seemed to have lost his senses.

She tried to walked away, but he reached out to grab her arm. He swallowed hard, realising he was at a loss for words.

She struggled in his iron grasp, "Usui, please... I have nothing to do with you anymore."

 _There were a lot of firsts that day._

"W-What do you mean?" He felt the space in his chest tighten. Hearing himself stutter for the first time only made everything more real.

"I– I've found someone else, okay! I can't– I don't feel the same anymore!"

"Misaki..."

Their eyes locked for a moment. His glimmering emeralds were missing. She saw the pain evident in his dull, dead eyes. And he saw the same. The light in her amber orbs was gone. She looked away.

As if plucking the courage from somewhere, she muttered coldly, "I don't love you anymore."

Usui Takumi's already broken world shattered into countless pieces. His firm grasp on her went limp. He desperately searched her gaze for any signs of amusement or deceit, but found none. Takumi felt himself breaking apart like glass, and he knew that only she could piece him back together.

She roughly pulled away from him, shocked that he let go.

Ayuzawa Misaki walked away.

He had hoped. He had hoped for a few moments that she would break the barrier she had built; that she would laugh at him and say he was an idiot for believing her; that it was all a joke.

But she didn't.

Takumi looked up to see her walk away, taking the shards of his life with her, which he knew he would never get back.

* * *

"Takumi-sama?"

He was pulled out of his trance. "Yes, yes. It-It's great to see you again Cedric." He shook the man's hand, mischievously smirking to hide his emotions. "So, did Gerard send you here to drag me to him?"

Takumi remembered the times when he was being miserable, rotting in his almost empty apartment. Fortunately, Gerard had sent Cedric to check on him, and so the latter had known of what his young master's brother had been going through. Although he and his brother's valet weren't close, Cedric was there, and had kept him alive.

No. Cedric Morris didn't say any words of advice or encouragement or comfort, but he did just about everything for Takumi. He bathed him, fed him, cleaned for him, and more. He didn't judge the young master, nor did he nag at the boy; his silence and actions showed his concern.

Sure, he didn't really piece the old Takumi back together– Usui Takumi was a changed man from that day onwards, but he kept him going; not because the Walkers needed an heir or he was ordered to do so, but because he cared.

Usui Takumi was reminded of Ayuzawa Misaki the moment he saw Cedric. Was it because he was the person who was there for him when she left?

 _It was as if everything and everyone around him associated themselves with her._

Just then, a young brunet came running towards the ochre-haired man and bumped into his leg, causing himself to fall on his behind.

"S-Sorry! Kyo wasn't looking but he didn't mean to hit you!" The boy covered his face in shame.

Takumi was taken aback. _Again._

The little boy was blushing hard from embarrassment, and had eyes that reminded him of the woman who still held his heart. The child's amber orbs spoke to him on a whole other level, and his blushing face mirrored Ayuzawa Misaki's usual expression. However, the boy's brown hair irked him a little. It was like that noisy Sanshita-kun's hair colour. He was somewhat like a Shintani-Ayuzawa creation–

He clenched his jaw after processing that thought.

Regaining composure, Takumi spoke although still annoyed, but his tone did not give a hint otherwise, "It's alright, young man. Are you hurt anywhe–"

"Kyo! Kyo! Where are you Kyo? Kyo!" A familiar young woman's distressed voice shouted, but Takumi didn't have the time to register what he had heard. He realised that the best thing to do at that moment was to disregard all the thoughts that he had of her, and was quite successful in doing so.

 _'Damn, Ayuzawa. Making me see and hear things.'_

"That's 'kaa-chan! But wait..." The little boy got up to run, but then realised that he still had unfinished business to attend to. Pulling on Cedric's coat, he cried, "I'm sorry Sir! Please don't get mad at Kyo! I didn't mean to hit you!" Turning to Takumi, he said, "And inter– inter-ruc– going in your talk." His embarrassment in not being able to pronounce the term 'interrupt' was evident, which Takumi found quite adorable.

Usui Takumi smiled to clear the boy's doubts of him getting mad at the him. He looked at him and ruffled his hair before speaking up. "Hmm, let me come with you. You might get lost again. I'll get someone to call for your mom."

Shintani Kyo was about to hesitate and run off, but there was just something about the golden-haired stranger that made him take the man's hand and follow.

Takumi was surprised at the brunet's sudden action, but he let his hand stay where it was.

"Cedric, you may take your leave. I shall accompany this young man to his mother."

"It's alright, Takumi-sama. I shall be waiting."

The blond nodded at the taller male before walking away with the boy.

"So, your 'kaa-chan, how does she look like?"

"Well, she's very pretty and I love her. She has pretty eyes, black hair that goes down to her shoulders, and she's really strong and... she's r-really strong and..."

"Hmm?" The blond turned to see Kyo crying. "What happened?" He knelt down and looked into the boy's eyes. Finding himself being unable to do so, he had a sudden urge to hug him.

 _'Why does he remind me of you, Ayuzawa?'_

Fuck. Even the child smells like her.

Kyo had stopped sobbing the moment the man hugged him.

"Shh, we'll find your 'kaa-chan. Come on."

Upon reaching the reception desk, Takumi was about to ask the receptionist to page Kyo's name when the little brunet suddenly pulled his hand away.

"'Kaa-chan's over there!" He pointed his finger to a distant raven-haired woman who seemed frantic as she spoke to a security guard. "T-Thank you Sir! And other Sir too! Bye!"

After Kyo had gone, the two men resumed their interrupted conversation.

"No, Takumi-sama. I came here simply to greet you, but I can escort you if you–"

He chuckled, "I was just kidding. You don't have to come with me."

The taller male bowed, "As you wish, Takumi-sama."

Takumi patted his back in reply and grinned. "No need for formalities, Cedric. Besides, Gerard might get jealous. Anyhow, I'll take my leave. Again, it's great to see you."

The two shook hands and parted ways.

He took a deep breath before entering the café.

* * *

"Oh Kyo! Where were you?!"

Ayuzawa Misaki's face conveyed nothing but horror and worry; she seemed to have been on the edge of breaking down and tearing up like a lost child, how ironic that was.

"Sorry 'kaa-chan. I k-kind of thought we would play hide-and-seek."

"No, Kyo. I said... Ah, never mind", she smiled as she hugged him and kissed his cheek. "What's good is that I found you, and that's all that matters." She blew on the little hairs at his nape, which got him to laugh.

"But 'kaa-chan, Kyo found you!"

The two laughed at that. They had already made their wishes at the fountain anyway, so they proceeded to the exit.

"So, Kyo. Do you want some cupcakes?"

"Yeah! Kyo wants cupcakes! Please! Please! Can we?"

"Alright! There's a café in the other building, and they have an offer for hot chocolate and muffins! How's that?"

"Yay! Let's go, 'kaa-chan", he pulled on her jacket.

Misaki smiled. He always called her 'kaa-chan. When he was a baby, Suzuna was teaching him how to call her "okaa-san" or "okaa-chan", whichever he picked up first. But because of the identical features shared between both sisters, Kyo ended up calling both women "okaa-shan". As he grew up, he was taught to address each woman differently, with Misaki being called "okaa-chan", and Suzuna as "okaa-san".

She happily dragged her nephew into "Usagi-kun's Café", ignorant of what was about to transpire.

* * *

 **Writer-kun:** Haha! It wasn't Misaki! Bet none of you guys expected Cedric :00 and ironic cus Kyo is actually a Shintani-Ayuzawa creation :P just not a HinaxMisa one XD Well, hope you enjoyed it! Please tell me what you cute bees think! :)


	6. Chapter 5: Facing fronts

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

HEY YOU BEES! I took so long again heehee! I'm so sorry! I was having some personal time with myself, so yeep, that's why I took a little forever in sending this chapter to **Juliastes.** It was so stupid of me really, I was scared of sending it to her and so I told myself that I'd do some editing, but I ended up doing none. Anyways, replying to the reviews!

 **Vijju123** – Hehe peaaaceee~! Sorry for taking so long... again XD Anyways, THANK YOU SO MUCH VIJJU-CHAN! I'm glad people are actually enjoying reading my crap as much as I enjoy writing them :)

 **Samara16** – Ahh, I'm doing pretty good. Not studying 24/7 as I thought I would, but pretty good. I'll probably study 26/7 after Christmas thoughh lmfao. But thanks for asking! Yes yes, I'll update (the next chap haha) soon. Sorry! And thank you, you're so sweet! :D

 **violet167** – Haha same! Btw, thanks for the continued support~

 **Takumisa17** – I MISS YOU SO MUCH GAH. But hey here's the next chappy!

 **Juliastes** – Thank you for everything really! You've helped me soo much with this fic, so I owe you a ton. Ladies, gentlemen, and those who do not like getting called by certain nouns, KUDOS TO THIS COOL CHICK FOR BEING A COOL BEAN! She's one of the big reasons why this fic is turning out nicer than it should! And ofc you other cool beans too. You know yourselves ;) *coughs* everyone who has stayed with me since the birth of my identity as ArrowBee / people who read my sh1t quality fics *coughs*

 ** _Minniemiss123_** – YES YES I WILL FOREVER ADD YOUR NAME TO MY ACKNOWLEDGES. You're soo sweet I'm dying! Thank you soo much, and I'm sorry again! Love you lots, you make me so smiley! And hyah, I'm sorry again!

 **Afe Niel** – Yeep yeep, writer-kun is back! Thanks for reading btw!

 ** _Candy2045_** – Hi again! Thank you for reading, and again for the title suggestion! However, please reach out to me bc I don't know if you have an account here on ffn. I still owe you an early chapter! ;)

 **TheLittleLieITold** – Hey (I love your account name btw). Thanks for the reviews! And your last review, don't worry man, I kinda did the same to a certain fic by "reviewing early" and saying "I wanted to review at your latest chapter, but I felt like giving one now too", only to find out that I reviewed on the last chapter! Soo embarrassing lmao, anyways coolbeans. Thanks mate! Hope ya like this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Facing fronts**

* * *

"Gerard", Takumi 'greeted' his brother, his icy tone prominent as he took his seat.

"Ah, I've missed you too. It's a good thing that you made it in–" the dark-haired man looked at his watch, "Oh wait", he scoffed, "15 minutes."

"Some kid ran into me and Cedric." The blond remembered the little boy's features, causing him to be both irritated and in between being sad and merry. Gerard noticed how his brother's facial expressions changed simultaneously as his knuckles clenched and relaxed.

"Did you have a bad meeting with Ceddy?"

Takumi rubbed his temples. "No. So what is it that you've called me here for?"

"Well, I did say _'10 minutes. Tops.'_ So, unless you can change my mind, then you're not going to–"

The blond stood up.

"Okay, okay! Wait..."

"You have less than 120 seconds, Gerard."

"Get me my favourite banana muffin first."

 _"Fuck you."_

* * *

After Gerard had had his precious snack whilst Takumi sipped his matcha, there was an eerie silence between the two men.

The younger male looked up to see a grim yet calm expression on his brother.

"So?"

"I came all the way here from England because of something that Grandfather–"

"I don't want anything to do with him. Whether you'll excuse me or not, I'll take my leave now", Takumi clenched his jaw, his eyes burning with irate. However, he had maintained a stoic front; only one who knew him so well would be able to see through the barriers he had put up. He was almost out of the door when his arm was suddenly pulled back.

"Takumi, please!" His brother's voice was soft but firm. "Hear me out for once."

Usui Takumi's voice was _almost_ a faint whisper. It was faint but harsh. "I did whatever you asked me to do. Just let me go–"

"He's dying..."

Takumi's heart stopped. He had mixed emotions; he thought that all he had for his grandfather was hate, but he felt a pang of pain in his system as those words slipped out of his brother's mouth.

 _'Why do I feel this way?'_

"He wanted me to give you this letter. Please hear me out, even for five–"

"I have all night."

* * *

Gerard shuffled awkwardly in his seat, trying to ease the uncomfortable situation that they were in. Sighing, he muttered to himself, "I don't know where to sta–"

"Just please get to the point."

"Grandfather asked me to give you this", said Gerard. He slowly slid Takumi a sealed envelope across the table, lightly biting his lower lip.

Takumi laughed bitterly. "What is this? He's letting me off the hook? If he thinks that some silly apology will make me forgive him–"

Gerard Walker's nervous image switched into a genial yet stern one. "Oh but he is, dear brother", he chuckled. The navy-haired man knew that he had to fake his true emotions. All this time, he was forced to act coldly towards his little brother. Their grandfather had said that he had no rights to be pampered, mainly because he was an illegitimate child of the latter's late daughter. However, it was only through time that the old man had realised his mistakes–how much he had mistreated his grandson. It was already bad enough that the child had to grow without a proper parent. But it was already too late. Usui Takumi had grown to feel apathy, or hate if he was lucky, towards the old duke. Gerard cleared his throat, "You being CEO wasn't permanent, although it can be if you want to. It was just for a few years really. You can go back to being–"

Chuckling darkly, the blond asked, "What the hell are you blabbering?"

"You can go back to being that Usui Takumi. Whatever you want to be– we won't bother you anymore."

* * *

Kyo stuffed his face with his cheese cupcake as he took a sip from his hot chocolate.

"Fif if rearry goofh!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Kyo-kun!"

Kyo swallowed the contents of his mouth before speaking up. "This is really good! I really liked today 'kaa-chan!"

"I guess I liked today too. Oh yeah, what happened when you got lost?"

"W-Well you see, I was running away to hide from you when I bumped into this really tall man with yellow hair. He was talking to someone with orange hair, and I was sorry for bumping and then–"

"Slow down, Kyo. Will you start from the beginning of your adventure?" Misaki smiled cutely at the boy, causing him to blush.

"Um, okay. I ran away and I bumped into this man with orange hair. And don't worry, 'kaa-chan! I said sorry like you said I should. But anyways, he was talking to this other big man with yellow hair. I said sorry to them because I inter- interruc– what was that big word again?"

"Interrupt?"

"Yes! I interrupt their–"

"Interrupted, Kyo."

"I interrupted their talk and so I said sorry to the other man too. He looked cooler than the other man, but they both looked pretty cool. But ya, the other man who looked cooler was gon' help me with looking for you but I found you."

Misaki stood up to grab a tissue from the counter. Upon returning, she wiped his face, "Eat properly, Kyo-kun. You look like a hungry dog."

Kyo grabbed another cupcake and shoved it in his mouth. Swallowing hard and fast, the boy spoke quickly as he pointed his finger at two men sitting at the corner of the café. "'Kaa-chan, look! It's that man from earlier! He's the one who was talking to the man I bumped into!"

"Shh! Quiet down!" Misaki hissed as she turned her head to the direction that her nephew was pointing to. "Who are you talking about anyways?"

"Don't you see, 'kaa-chan?" He asked as he continued pointing his finger. "That man with the green eyes!"

* * *

 **Writer-kun:** A tad ooc I know... And the contrast from Takumi-in-my-fic's personality compared to Takumi-from-the-manga is soo idek. I'M SO LAME LOOL. Well maybe they're finally meeting each other ;D Actually, who knows? Cus even I'm unsure hur hur hur. And oh, matcha is Japanese green tea. That's all for now!


	7. Chapter 6: A beautiful exception

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

(note: new year, new layout haha see the bold in my a/n)

 **31/01/2017**

 **Hey you cuuute bees! [YES I AM BACK FROM EXAMS] Ah, when did I last update this? Dec21? Well whatever, but haha I'm just posting this (edited) chapter from last year. I actually have so many alternative plans for this―like heck, there are so many possible happenings mate. And the urge to write is just so strong. I am slowly being consumed by nostalgia whilst falling into a pit of endless confusion. Ntm my excessive indecisiveness that affects my partaking in daily-life activities that would otherwise not be difficult if it weren't for―okay okay I'll stop.**

 **Moving on to the reviews―**

 **Samara16– Aww thank you so much! I'm so glad that my OC is liked by people! Feels good man~ And haha, read more to find out ;)**

 **Hikachan420– Haha, a new aspect of Misaki right! And who knows, maybe (just maybe) Kyo could be the key to her and Takumi reuniting once again! ;)**

 ** _Minniemiss123_ – You're really so sweet sigh. I was sorry for updating really late XD And yes, honestly, I feel really really bad for Gerard cus he's always seen as the bad and jealous brother, but no one actually focuses on _why_ he's jealous. He probably cares more about Takumi than he shows, so that's that :P Love love you! Ah it'd be so nice if you had an account. I'd really love to get to know you! Thanks for always reading and reviewing my fics!**

 ** _Candy2045_ – Blimey that sucks :( Well you once gave me a title suggestion "Unexpected call" for my 3rd chapter, and I'm really grateful for that so I kinda wanted to send you an early chapter as a tiny token of my thanks! Glad that you're reading my stuff :D**

 ** _lillyannp_ – Thank you so much! And haha, same. As the writer of this fic, I actually don't have any already-written chapters after this one, so I might take longer to update. Soo yep, I don't exactly plan my fics that much anymore :((**

 **Lyoshiiro– Thank you! Glad that you found my story interesting! Much love~**

 **Afe Niel– Hi! Same here mate :D Idk man, but I'm guessing that they'll meet soon and be happy and get married and have a horde of babies dancing in the fields :D *cues in the doubting voice from The Amazing World of Gumball's _The Game*_ Or will they? ;) Omfg that was so random, but thanks for reading!**

 ** _smellysocks16_ – Aww thank you! ww**

 **This chapter goes out to the wonderful _Minniemiss123_ for being so sweet and for being a huge support since my first ever fic! I know this isn't much at all, but kudos to you out there! Much love xx**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: A beautiful exception**

* * *

Ayuzawa Misaki shook her head, sat on her seat and closed her eyes.

 _Slap._

"'Kaa-chan... what happe―"

 _'"Welcome to Walker Corporations."'_

The raven-haired opened her eyes to see her confused nephew, who immediately set his finger down the moment she had brought her hand upon her cheek.

"Kyo?" She panted.

 _' "...Walker Corporations."'_

"'Kaa-chan? W-Why are you slapping yourse―"

"Kyo, we have to go." She slung her bag over her shoulder and her nephew's on the other. _'Shit.'_

"Wait, 'kaa-chan. I want you to meet him. He's really nice and―"

 _'Fuck, it's really him.'_

Misaki grabbed her warm coffee and chugged it. "Kyo, we don't even know him and―"

 _' **"Walker"**. '_

"But he helped me find you..."

"Kyo, it's getting really late. Wrap up your cupcakes. We still have to go home by bus."

She could see the word clearly in her head. _It was a simple, six-letter word that could be either be a noun or a proper noun._

"But 'kaa-chan..."

Ayuzawa Misaki remembered that day clearly; she had received a letter that was in a white envelope. She remembered it all―it was a little too crystal clear in her head.

 _Her little sister had interrupted the eerie silence that surrounded the scratching sounds of her pen across her Algebra worksheet. She had almost jumped upon hearing Suzuna's monotone voice whisper, "Onee-chan" in her right ear._

 _The envelope was plain white―only a single, six-letter word in bold disrupting the otherwise flawless material._

 _"WALKER"_

 _Sometimes she wished that she assumed that it was some random prank and that she had just dumped it in her mini recycling bin that was stowed underneath her study table, but she internally argued in her defence that anyone sane and human would resort to doing things without realising it. And that if she had not (unconsciously) opened it so, everyone―including him―may be in danger right now._

Misaki glared at the boy, something she had never done before.

 _'I'm sorry Kyo. I just can't face him.'_

* * *

"Leaving without saying goodbye to your onii-chan?" Gerard playfully pouted as he pretended to be offended.

"Fuck off."

They were the only customers left in the café; only a few minutes were left before it closed for the night.

"Takumi-kun is so cold! I wonder if―"

"But thank you", he whispered so faintly that Gerard barely heard him. "For coming all the way here. Goodnight and goodbye."

Gerard smiled as he watched his brother jog for a bus that was about to leave.

 _'It's alright, Takumi. It was worth it. I hope it was never too late for you and her.'  
_

The navy-haired sat back on his chair. Tipping his head back, he cursed himself under his breath. All he could really do right now is to hope that the fire between the two hasn't died out yet, or smoke. Fighting against his urge to flip out a fag in his café (which he purposefully built near his brother's building so that he could have a reason to visit him), he clicked his tongue.

 _'There's never a day when I don't come to hate myself even more seeing you like this.'_

* * *

The aunt and her nephew were silent as they sat on the bus, something that rarely happened.

"Kyo―"

"Do you hate me, 'kaa-chan?" When the boy turned to her, she saw the pain and sadness that made her hate herself even more.

 _'Those eyes...'_

It brought her back to that day five years ago.

Misaki could not do anything but hug the boy as tight as she could and cry endless tears―and he was no different.

* * *

Takumi sat in his seat, looking out of the window as he watched the falling snow. He didn't hate winter, but it always made him hate himself. Winter gave him the eternal "if's". If only he was a better person; if only he exerted more efforts to make Ayuzawa happy; if only―

The blond sighed and watched his breath fog the window. He smiled as he used his finger to draw a bunny apple on his window.

Whispering, he watched the bunny apple on the window slowly fade away into nothingness. "You loved bunny apples so much, and that's one of the reasons why I found you so interesting. You were the demon president back in high school. Who would have known that the great kaichō enjoyed eating something as childish as bunny apples?"

Takumi was going to visit the café that brought him and her together. _Just one last time._

* * *

Misaki watched her nephew as he slept on her lap; he had all sorts of lines created by dry tears strewn all over his face. The woman took her nephew's bento bag and unscrewed his water bottle's cap. Taking her handkerchief, she dampened it with the cold water and wiped his dry tears away. Brushing his brown hair to reveal the boy's creamy-coloured skin, she leaned down to kiss his forehead, and once again, her mind drifted off to Usui Takumi.

He was sitting with a man whose back was faced towards them. Takumi looked cold and frightening. It almost felt as if it wasn't the same idiot alien that she knew. He was all prim and proper; he seemed like how she imagined "the ideal businessman" when she was still in high school. Yes. He became how she imagined he would look, but she never really expected to see _that_ side of him.

The raven-haired face-palmed. How could she have been so stupid? Waltzing into a "Walker" building―didn't she realise where she was from the English man who opened the door earlier?

Misaki sighed. It had been a tiring day. Seeing Takumi made her heart skip a beat―she never really changed when it came to him. Even though he looked all strict and not alien-like, she had to admit, he still looked really handso―

 _'MISAKI, YOU IDIOT PERVERT!'_

She turned her head to see if anyone had heard her thoughts. Blushing hard, she mentally slapped herself. Of course, no one can read minds!

Her brain drifted off once again. Although his playfulness seemed to have gone, his looks hadn't faded awa―

 _'I'm becoming a pervert like that idiot! I'm gonna kick him for infecting me with his perversion and_ ― _'_

She buried her head in her hands. _Right._ That was already long ago.

 _'It's been five years, Misaki. Get over it.'_

The realist speaking those words in her head make her ask herself questions she knew she wouldn't be able to answer.

 _Was she really not over him yet?_  
 _Or more importantly, did she even want to get over him?_

She looked at her hands. Unbeknownst to her, she had started breaking and scratching her nails out. It was usually a bad habit of hers to do so, and she would only realise that she had been ruining her nails after the pain struck sharp and her fingers started to bleed.

Ayuzawa Misaki was good at anything that she did; cooking being the only thing that defied this ability. She was good at studies; she was good at physical combat and athletics; she was good at being a sister and a daughter―heck, she was even good at being good itself. Ayuzawa Misaki was good at anything that life threw at her―which is why she was able to juggle being a part-time maid at a cosplay café, a student and a student council president, a child, a sister, a friend, a young woman, and a good person at the same time.

But she was never an expert in love.

She was given the handbook of life and all the possible shit that it could hurl at her, but the book was missing a page. It didn't say anything about love. The raven-haired did not know what to do when it came to love that wasn't love for family or friends, and she didn't know that she could be bad at something other than cooking.

She was good at everything but cooking until he came along.

He was a beautiful exception to her law of being good. He broke down the walls that she built to keep the Ayuzawa Misaki she knew would never be able to withstand the world that was shattered by the carelessness of her father. Those walls that she defended from even the slightest wind, and he effortlessly did so just by letting her know of his existence.

Yes. He was a beautiful exception to her law of being good.

It was only a matter of acceptance, but she was quite aware of it the day she came to know about a certain Usui Takumi.

 _'Damn it. You're such an idiot Usui. Invading my thoughts like this...'_

Feeling rather fatigued, she was on the brink of falling asleep when she received a phone call.

"Moshi moshi?" She whispered.

 _"Hi Sis. Please come to Maid Latté. I went earlier and met Hina―"_ Suzuna was interrupted as someone snatched her phone.

 _"Hi Misaki! You never told us that Suzuna was coming! And we're all at Maid Latté! Satsuki-san is giving us free―ow!"_

 _"Sorry Sis, but come quick! We're all waiting for you and Kyo_ ― _and oh, don't tell him yet, okay?"_

The call was ended before she even had the chance to think of something to say.

Looking out of the window, she saw the bus stop near their (new) destination.

"Kyo, wake up! Quick! We have to go down now!"

"Huh?"

"Chotto matte!" Misaki shouted to the bus driver. "Hurry up, Kyo-kun! It's our stop!"

After registering where they had gone down at, Kyo looked at her questioningly. "'Kaa-chan! This isn't the stop near our house!" He started waving his hands. "HEY BUS! HEY BUS! COME BACK!"

"No Kyo! We're at the right stop! Um, y-you wanna eat cupcakes? I know a cute café, you know!"

"But I'm tired of cupca―ouch!"

Misaki looked up to see a man walking away from them indifferently.

 _'Wait, did he just bump into Kyo-kun without apologising?'_

"HEY YOU IDIOT!"

But the man was already somewhere far.

* * *

Usui Takumi hummed a tune, attempting to block out any traces of her existence in his mind. Today, it seemed as if she was actually there: through that little brunet, the frantic woman shouting in his building, and even the little boy's scent. Is this really what happens to lovesick people? You know, those people who go mad and start hallucinating and all that crazy shit. Well...

"I'm tired of cupca―ouch!"

 _'Even that little boy is all over my mind now. What the fu―'_

"HEY YOU IDIOT!"

Usui Takumi ran.

He didn't know if he ran to get away from some possessive mother, or because he heard Ayuzawa Misaki's voice as the woman shouted. He knew though, that he had to see Maid Latté at least one last time.

Just one last time before he would return to England. Besides, going back just meant working, and working meant that he could pass time way faster and move on to the next life.

He can finally try and learn to accept the fact that she and he were just an old memory.

* * *

"Well, come on Kyo. I know a shortcut."

"'Kaa-chan, can we go home to 'tou-san?"

"Yes, yes. But I want to show you a cool place. You see, 'kaa-chan used to work here when she was in high school. High school is a place where big boys and girls study. But anyway, I want to show you my old workplace. People are really nice there too!"

As she talked, she barely realised that they had arrived at their destination. "Oh look, Kyo-kun. We're here!"

"Oh..."

Ayuzawa Misaki looked up at the building; it was as pretty as a picture as it had been before. It had looked the same, except for a few paint-jobs here and there, but still the same.

The last time that she had to work here was five years ago. That was the time when they had to move out so that they could mortgage their house and lot, but two years later, she was able to pull herself and her family out of the quicksand that they were in, and they were soon able to live in their old house again.

Temporarily forgetting about all the events that had occurred, she set a smile on her face as she opened the door.

* * *

Usui Takumi walked to the place where he first saw her in that ridiculously cute and revealing outfit. He smiled and blushed lightly; he remembered how she looked all too well. She was so embarrassed―so scared that he'd tip over her biggest secret, but what made his heart throb in joy and pain was when she told him about her father. He knew that he was the first to know about a hidden side of the demon president, but it hurt him as well that she belonged in a broken family. It hurt him that she had to feel what he felt.

No female interested Takumi―not one bit. He never, in his whole existence, imagined himself falling so hard for someone. Falling in love for that matter.

But Ayuzawa Misaki was a beautiful exception. She was strong and she defined what love meant. She was so full of love which she never knew she had, and he himself had felt it. The apathetic blond had learned how to love, and all the love he had learned to harbour was all for her, and soon, he found himself loving the people whose lives she had radiated with her love as well.

But what can one do, when he finally learns to love? What can he do when that love is only for a certain person? And what more could he do, if that certain person was gone―and didn't love him back?

He breathed out a sigh. Who would have guessed that the great CEO of the Walker Corps., grandson and blood-tied to the Walkers of England, was lovesick, bound and chained to, and drowning in thought about a certain person?

 _'All the love's still there―I just don't know what to do with it now.'_

He was certain of the fact that he could never love another woman―he had fallen in too deep.

He shook his head.

No. To the depths of Hell that thought should be. He was certain of the fact that he could never let his love be for someone else. It wasn't a choice. Rather, it was something that could not be changed. He could only continue to love, even if that love wasn't reciprocated. He could only continue to love her, because that's all that it really was. He was just in love with her, that he could only continue harbouring more and more of that love for her, even if it killed him.

Usui Takumi sat on the ground and leaned on the wall, feeling the harsh yet gentle snow kiss his skin. He felt his face freeze as snow met skin. It was way too cold tonight, but he didn't really care. He would sleep here tonight; he was going to leave to another continent tomorrow anyway, so spending his last moments in Japan near the building that held a lot of his memories with her only made perfect sense.

Closing his eyes, he saw those pretty amber jewels that haunted his dreams. And Usui Takumi knew then that he could die happily, as long as the last thing that he could see were those eyes that wholly captured his soul and being.

However, he didn't expect it to happen in reality.

Usui Takumi did not expect to open his eyes to ones which he had longed for.

* * *

 **Writer-kun: Ba dum tss. I think I'm the only one enjoying the prolonging of their meeting wtf. I just can't help it guys. But don't worry, all is probably (and hopefully) planned :D**

 **READ-REVIEW-FOLLOW-FAVOURITE! More feedback = faster update :D**


	8. Chapter 7: Realisations

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

 **03/02/2017**

 **Hiyo my bees! Before anything though, I'd like to say that I was listening to December (again) by Neck Deep ft Mark Hoppus while writing this. Have a good listen my good bees. Not really anything related to the story―just plain, good music. Recommended to me by my good friend Ru-chan (her brother recommended it to her) so, I'd like to recommend it to you. :) #SharingGoodMusic**

 **But anyway, 13 reviews in 4 days?! GYAH I am SO happy! That's the most I've gotten from one chapter, so you guys deserve a fast update heehee! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO DO SO :') I shall now reply to said reviews :D**

* * *

 **Afe Niel– Aww, thank you so much ahh. I'm happy someone commented about my detailing bc honestly I didn't really put in much effort in proofreading the last chapter (I doubt I'll ever proofread properly), so there's probably tonnes o' mistakes, but thank you!**

 **Vijju123– *bows* thanks my bean ;)**

 _ **Stella–** _**What WHAT** **I am screaming right now. Your favourite? GYAH YOU'RE TOO SWEET THANK YOU! And I knowww I took so long to update :( I had exams and I didn't want to post the chapter early (it needed a few tweaks here and there, and I had quite a lotta stuff to add so yep I worked on it the moment I got home from exams). BUT YOU'RE SO SWEET! I'll try to update faster ahah :)**

 **Samara16– HEY HEY! We haven't talked in forever :( Imysm, Skype with me! And aww thank you :D Haha, I feel really bad for late updates. Peace!**

 _ **LisaXShun**_ **– Hiyo! Wahh I'm touched! I'm happy that this fic can convey the emotions that I want it to bring out :) Thank you dude! :D**

 **Hikachan420– Shh, it's way way better when things don't go as planned ;) I like to prolong things I guess ww. There's a lot of stuff that needs explanation, so yup yup I can't skip through that and let them meet! You bees deserve to know its every "nook and cranny"! Thanks for the read!**

 _ **Minniemiss123–**_ **Did I say that you're the sweetest reviewer ever? But seriously though. Duuuude. I am so so so happy that you liked this chappy! Ahah, it wasn't much, but you're very welcome! :) And yes, I have an ig account for ffn (thearrowbee)! Dm meee hehe.  
You're such a sweetie honestly. I'm so glad that you feel me, and that you liked my last chapter! Knowing that, I'm pretty much as happy as Kyo-kun eating his cupcakes haha. Thank you so much for letting me know your thoughts on this! Hehe, feels good to read analyses of muh fics!**

 **Juliastes– Hi hi hi! *sweats nervously* I'm sorry for close encounters okay! And as for the letters, they will be gradually revealed.**

 **mikanlove– Bae bee! Thank you thank you thank you haha! Same here really―I'm pretty much as excited as you guys to see them meet ww. And haha our review got me "kilig-ed"!**

 _ **Padfoot**_ **Starfyre–** **Hi Padfoot! I'm so happy you reviewed hehe idk. Anyway, I FEEL LIKE I GOT EVERYONE SO SAD AND STUFF AND IT MAKES ME SAD TOO, but wehe, I can't do anything about that ww. Thank you for your thoughts! They're much appreciated! :DD**

 ** _smellysocks16–_ Hey! *pats your head* It's here, it's here! Glad to know I'm a source of forgetting your boredom!~ Thanks for reading my stuff! :)**

 **Takumisa17** **– Aha thank you! Here's the next update :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Realisations**

* * *

 _[5 years ago]_

 _Raven Castle, England_

 _December XX, XXXX  
_ _Friday_

 _XXXXX, XXXXX, Japan_

 _Ayuzawa Misaki,_

 _Before anything else, I would like to introduce myself as Gerard Walker of the Walker Corporations._

 _I know that you find this rather strange that some random man that you probably haven't even heard of is writing you a letter, but I must say that I have my own reasons in doing so. The main one―that is―concerns a certain young man who you know as Usui Takumi._

 _Going straight to the point, he is my biological half-brother, who will soon be heir and CEO of Walker Corporations situated in Japan, based on the Raven Castle in England._

 _Matters aside, I only wrote this letter to request you of one thing: Break off your relationship with Usui Takumi at once._

 _This letter is a warning to you, Ayuzawa Misaki-san, for I know that you value the lives of those who you love, and of course, my dear little brother Takumi. I sincerely hope that you consider this letter as something important, because I myself with the power that I have cannot change what is inevitable._

 _I know that it is beyond infuriating to receive a letter like this, and that it is a lot to take, but..._

The raven-haired tore the letter into shreds, and after doing so did she only realise how fast her heart had been beating, and that she had been clawing at her own fingers in angst. She touched the eponychium of her right thumb which she scratched out, resulting to her wincing in pain. Her lateral nail folds had been peeled too, and she tugged at the all the pieces of skin which she could tug at.

She let herself bleed even more.

At times like these, Ayuzawa Misaki turns into a masochist without knowing, and it wasn't like it was in her grasp to control her actions (which she later found out to be nothing but involuntary) of inflicting pain or injury upon herself.

Frustrated, she laughed bitterly and tossed the ball of torn trees without caring where it landed.

She looked at the medium-sized pink-framed mirror attached to her wall.

At the corner of the mirror was a picture carefully tucked underneath the frame.

 _"Since you say it that way, then I shall have another present from you. Smile, Ayuzawa."_

Her face was really red then, whilst he effortlessly kept a calm front. He had gotten the photograph of them printed for safekeeping, and even gave her a copy, which she secretly liked a lot to the point of keeping it on her mirror just so that she could see it everyday.

She smiled, not knowing what she was supposed to do, and soon, her façade was replaced by a strange yet strong wave of nausea and pain that caused her to let out a soft shriek of discomfort.

"Ah!"

Ayuzawa Misaki collapsed on her cold bed.

She fell into a light sleep before her tears could make their way out of her eyes, and she laid on her bed, half-asleep and half-awake.

She knew not of what happened around her―all she knew was that she found it difficult to breathe, and that she could barely stop herself from sobbing uncontrollably.

Her Algebra worksheet was left sprawled on her table forgotten, and Ayuzawa Misaki bit her lip until it bled, and until her consciousness broke away from her.

* * *

Shintani Kyo was not in the mood to be kissed by a horde of women in their late twenties.

"Kyaaa! Kyo-kun really is cute! He looks so much like Hinata-kun, but you can see Suzu-chan in him! Misa-chan even!" Hyōdō Satsuki squealed as she pinched her _almost-_ nephew's cheeks and placed a big wet kiss on his forehead. The forty-year-old placed both hands together, cradling her left cheek. Thinking aloud, she blurted out, "Misa-chan and Suzu-chan seem to have the same eye colour, but one can see that they're different in some way!"

Both sisters shared the same eye colour, but their amber orbs were entirely different at the same time. Ayuzawa―no―Shintani Suzuna had a darker and deeper shade of golden brown, whilst her sister Misaki had a lighter one.

Scooting over to the only adult male in the room, Satsuki smirked evilly to Hinata. "Ne, Hinata-kun. Surely, you don't have a crush on our Misa-chan anymore? After all, you're married to her sister, ne?" Upon hearing the teasing remark, Saotome Subaru, Ono Erika and Kinoshita Sonoko all nodded in agreement and looked at the brunet, who was now sporting a dark shade of crimson.

"N-No! Of course not!" he waved his hands in front of him as if to say no. "I'm not going to lie that I did like Misaki-chan a lot when we were in high school, but looking back, I was kind of aware of the fact that we were never really meant to be", he grinned. "I'm really glad that I tried to go after Misaki like that, because then I got to know Suzuna more", the man smiled sincerely, causing all the women listening to be forget their teasing, and instead, melt in wonder and awe.

After hearing what he had to say, Hyōdō Satsuki once again drifted off to a world of moeness before proceeding to have her nose bleed heavily, to which everyone had to attend to.

After the commotion had been cleared and the subject of conversation was once again averted to the little boy and which parent he looked more like, Shintani Hinata grinned as he unknowingly scratched the back of his head. "I'm really glad that he's got his mother's eyes", the man smiled nervously. Whispering to himself, he blushed, "Suzuna really is beautiful after all..."

Hearing those words, Shintani Kyo poked his tongue at his father and decided that he wasn't in the mood to listen to sappy love stories. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him anymore, he slipped out of the kitchen unnoticed.

* * *

 _[5 years ago]_

The raven-haired woke up at three in the morning feeling rather disorientated. Her mind was going haywire, and the pain residing in her head was incomparable to anything that she had felt in her entire life.

 _'I wonder why no one woke me up last night',_ she thought as she rubbed her eyes tried hard to adjust to the darkness of her room.

Walking to the bathroom clad in nothing but a tank top and her boy shorts, she let out a breath that she did not know she was holding. The young woman washed her mouth, and when she looked at the mirror in front of her did she remember the reality that she was living in.

 _'Break off your relationship with Usui Takumi at once.'_

Forgetting about her headache, she immediately dashed to her room, not knowing whether she should go back to the comfort of her bed and pretend that it was not of her knowledge that something was indeed wrong, or whether she should clarify if everything was just a dream.

Unfortunately, her doubts were determined and deemed correct when she found what changed her whole life―a torn letter crumpled tightly into a ball.

All she could do then was cover herself in her warm duvet and cry until she could no longer.

Letting all emotions pass, Ayuzawa Misaki plucked the courage from the depths of her heart and turned her night lamp on. With shaky hands, she laid out all the torn pieces and put them altogether, and the young woman knew then the irony of piecing something back together, only to have yourself get torn apart.

* * *

 _[5 years ago]_

Gerard Walker looked at what he had written. Despite his protests against the Duke Richard Rachester, his grandfather, he was unable to change even a fragment of the old man's orders.

He realised then that he, at the least, owed that woman who Takumi had eyes for this much, and that he should write against his grandfather's will.

He realised that he too, had to lie to enforce the warning on the young woman, and so he decided to make her think as if he was made to write it, just so that she would be forced to give in and no one would have to be harmed.

•••

 _Raven Castle, England_

 _December XX, XXXX  
_ _Friday_

 _XXXXX, XXXXX, Japan_

 _Ayuzawa Misaki,_

 _Before anything else, I would like to introduce myself as Gerard Walker of the Walker Corporations._

 _I know that you find this rather strange that some random man that you probably haven't even heard of is writing you a letter, but I must say that I have my own reasons in doing so. The main one―that is―concerns a certain young man who you know as Usui Takumi._

 _Going straight to the point, he is my biological half-brother, who will soon be heir and CEO of Walker Corporations situated in Japan, based on the Raven Castle in England._

 _Matters aside, I only wrote this letter to request you of one thing: Break off your relationship with Usui Takumi at once._

 _This letter is a warning to you, Ayuzawa Misaki-san, for I know that you value the lives of those who you love, and of course, my dear little brother Takumi. I sincerely hope that you consider this letter as something important, because I myself with the power that I have cannot change what is inevitable._

 _I know that it is beyond infuriating to receive a letter like this, and that it is a lot to take, but I would advise you to do as I say right away. I am also advising you to keep anything regarding this matter from any other parties, especially Takumi. He is my brother after all, and I would not like him to be against our family. Knowing the Walkers, they will do anything to get their way, even if it means that aggression will be taken into consideration and put into action._

 _Please consider my brother's safety and yours, as well as your family's and your reputation as a whole. Any signs of resistance or opposition will consequence to actions of unspeakable measures. I am merely a messenger of the Walkers, and I can only do so much. I would also ask you to stay out of our family's personal businesses, and that you take this letter seriously._

 _All proof and legal official documents of Usui Takumi being a Walker will be mailed to you separately._

 _You have three days to act accordingly. Until then, you are under strict observation by the Walkers. I believe that I should probably let you know that, because after all, you are entitled to such a right._

 _Leave Usui Takumi, and let him live._

 _That is all, Ayuzawa-san._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Gerard Walker  
Walker Corporations_

•••

He folded the letter carefully, and tucking it into the envelope, he took out a thin paintbrush and dipped it in a small saucer of water to seal the envelope.

"Cedric, please make sure that this arrives to a certain Ayuzawa Misaki."

The ochre-haired man nodded, taking the envelope in his hand before leaving the room.

And Gerard Walker hated himself since then.

* * *

The four-year-old smirked after escaping the stuffy kitchen. Walking past the dressing tables and then out of the back door, he smiled upon seeing the snow fall. It had already been snowing beforehand, but the young boy was fascinated with the clumps of tiny cotton balls falling right now. Wanting to see more, Shintani Kyo would've walked a little further―that is―if he didn't see the seeming-to-be sleeping figure slumped against the wall.

He knew that interactions with strangers should not be something that he should experiment on―after all, his aunt Misaki even got mad after knowing that he talked to that blond man earlier, and he did not need to see her like that ever again.

But anyway, Kyo was having an internal battle of whether he should go and ask the strange man why he was sleeping outside his (non-biological) aunt's café, or whether he should just leave him out in the cold.

 _'Wait? Is he still even alive?'_

The little boy walked over to the dozing man. A metre away from the sleeping figure, he observed that the man seemed to have just fallen asleep. And that he had yellow hair.

Tightly gripping a stick from a broken branch he found on the ground, he moved his face closer to the man's, only realising that he was―

 _'The man with the green eyes from the building!'_

The sleeping stranger's eyes snapped open, confirming all doubts that the boy had.

Shintani Kyo gasped in shock.

* * *

"Misaki-chan, can you look for Kyo?" Shintani Hinata laughed nervously as he carried his drooling wife bridal-style. "Suzuna just drank a little too much so I can't go looking for him."

The older sister chuckled at her little sister's carelessness in drinking two glasses of brandy before nodding.

"Okay, I'll just get the car started. We'll probably be leaving in ten minutes though, so we'll be in the car by the time you find him."

"Yup!"

Ayuzawa Misaki watched the couple leave―her little sister in the arms of a man who used to be crazy and lovesick about her. _Time sure flies._

"Kyo-kun! Kyo, we're leaving, so come out wherever you are right now!" Misaki playfully taunted as she started opening the cabinets which she was certain that her nephew would be hiding in.

* * *

"Y-You're the man from earlier!" Shintani Kyo half-shouted, quarter-gasped, and quarter-whispered.

Usui Takumi blinked his eyes. He was sure that he had seen amber orbs, and he was right, but it wasn't who he had wished it to be.

"What are you doing here?" Both males asked each other.

The little boy chuckled at his expense, reminding the blond of someone he found rather irritating.

 _'Shintani Hinata.'_

"I was just wondering why you were sleeping outside my aunt's café. If she saw you, she might freak out and have her nose bleeding again!"

The blond was confused, but did not say anything about it. He felt weird. It was as if he had―what was that? Oh. Vertigo. He didn't know if he felt odd because the aunt the little boy spoke of reminded him of the Hyōdō Satsuki at a time like this, or if he just felt plain odd seeing the same boy who had gotten lost in his building just a while ago.

"Oh? I just happened to pass by..." Usui Takumi said softly. Not caring anymore about what had happened earlier that day in his building, he ignored the child and took little to almost no steps at all, trying to keep his balance.

"Oji-san―I can call you that right? But anyway you should probably keep away from the road. My 'kaa-chan always said that safety should always be first!" The brunet pointed out, feeling proud of himself that he had been listening to his aunt.

"Hmm? Oh, your 'kaa-chan..." The blond felt like puking right there and then, but instead, tried his best to avoid moving his head even in the slightest centimetre possible. The little boy was talking way too much, and he was too dizzy to absorb anything.

"Kyo-kun!" A voice shouted before the back door swung wide open.

Usui Takumi turned around at the sound of the speaker's voice.

"Kyo-ku―oh Kyo! Your dad was busy looking for you!" The once-again frantic aunt ran to her nephew, bent down, and pulled him into a tight hug.

"'Kaa-chan! I was just talking to the man from earlier!" Shintani Kyo beamed after his aunt let go of him. "Look, he's over there!" The little boy tugged on the woman's sleeve, and the man felt a jab of pain somewhere in his chest.

"Misaki?" He asked no one in particular.

"'Kaa-chan, how does he know your name?"

She stood up from her crouching position, and the blond blinked thrice just to verify if he was still asleep. "Misaki?"

"H-He's you're―y-you're his―?"

The blond had wanted to walk towards the woman in front of him to make sure if he was awake or stuck in a world that was both a good dream and a nightmare, and that's when he realised that he had been standing in the middle of the road.

"Oji-san―WATCH OUT!"

Usui Takumi was too dizzy to figure out what the little boy was screaming about, but as he turned to his left, he realised then that a small pickup truck was darting towards him, and that he was way too disorientated and in shock to move.

The piercing sound of her scream and the loud horns of the speeding vehicle was the last thing he heard before he was left to spiral into a pit of darkness.

* * *

 **A/n: *crowd gasps* Honestly, I didn't like this chapter as much as I did the last one. I feel like it's lacking in detail, so I apologise for that *dogeza*. I might take a wee bit long to update after this though, for I'm gathering research on car accidents. Also, just for fun cus honestly I don't feel the urge to read another chapter if the writer updates too fast, so that's that. Don't we all lowkey enjoy the suspense and the cliffhangers? Like whether the writer is still alive and writing or if s/he is forever gone? I don't know. It's just me? Okay, okay ;u;**

 **Also, I'm posting this with no p00p given, so if there are any mistakes or whatever, I'm sorry for the inconvenience!** **Wherever you guys are, take care and keep safe around roads okay? Loving all my bees~**

 **Meanings**

 **Oji-san** **– uncle; not to be confused with "ojii-san" which means grandfather**


	9. Chapter 8: Halcyon warmth

**Kaich** **ō wa Maid-sama!**

 **18/03/2017**

 **Really really grateful for the continued love and support for this fic. I will try harder, and hopefully my efforts will not be futile. I do not recognise a change in the way I write, but for some reason I can feel it. To avoid confusion, please refer to the layout on my profile.**

 **Vijju123** **– Aw sweet. But come at me B| *initiates chopstick battle***

 **Takumisa17** **– Aww, thank you. :)**

 _ **Stella**_ ** _–_ Haha. Sorry for keeping your hopes high. I swear I'll try to update faster! And thanks by the way! :D**

 _ **Padfoot**_ **Starfyre** **– Yes. Not sure if I mentioned it but Gerard wrote the letter on his own will (against his grandfather's, actually) to warn Misaki. I can actually imagine him being a hardcore TakuMisa shipper, with posters and merch. Heh, sorry for the cliffhanger. Here's the next chapter!**

 _ **Rory**_ ** _–_ Ah, thank you for the info. And for loving my cliffhanger. Really. Thank you.  
It'd be nice if we could have some anatomy talk and such. I hope you're well.**

 _ **Patricia Walker** **–**_ **Thank you. :) I hope you won't stop reading despite my crappy updates. Much love! And haha, read on. I may or may not have diagnosed the guy with amnesia. Who knows? ;)**

 _ **Minniemiss123**_ ** _–_ Thank you for the continued support! And don't worry, you can go as lengthy as you want. :D You're just too sweet!**

 **BluBerry Rose** **– Ah, I really should've made things more intense. :DD Thank you for your thoughts and for pointing that out! I love you forever.**

 **Afe Niel** **– Fuaaahh~ What if instead of him, she got hit by the truck in the process of trying to save him?! 0_0 RIP Ayuzawa Misaki lololol. :]]**

 **THANK YOU TO ALL WHO REVIEWED! YOU ALL ARE MY MVBees. :D**

 **To everyone: If you ever want to point something out or criticise my work, please please don't hesitate to do so. If I knew my weak points, that'll improve my writing and because of that, yoll can enjoy my stuff better. Well, good talk.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Halcyon warmth**

* * *

 _Halcyon_

 _"denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful."_

•••

 _If I get high enough, will I see you again?_

•••

* * *

The room reeked of alcohol.

Not the alcohol that Usui Takumi liked to dip his little blond head in every now and then, but the alcohol that one can use to look for hidden paper cuts on his hand. Rubbing alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol.

 _It smelled so clean and sanitary._

It was an undeniable fact that his building was sterilised from every glass tile to the next and was probably the cleanest place in Japan, but this place had a different kind of scent.

As he opened his eyes, he found that he could not see anything but white. The blond tilted his head to the right to have a good view of where he was, but only espied eternal whiteness, and a bit of fuzzy lines here and there.

Right. He wasn't wearing his glasses. He hadn't worn his glasses for a good five years already. Wait―his contact lenses? Where were his contact lenses? But more importantly―

 _'Where in the shits am I?'_

Trying to lift his left hand to scratch his cheek, he realised that it was immobile. Like something was keeping it in place.

A wave of nostalgia hit him as he lingered on the tranquil warmth that laid on his hand, before he was left with the thought that he felt this kind of warmth before. He knew that this was, and of course, could only be―(1)

 _'Warm. So warm.'_

The blond felt defeated by his own body, and soon enough did he give in to his id.

Usui Takumi's last efforts before the white that surrounded him became black was squeezing the only thing that he found warm. Everything else was cold. This place―wherever it was, he didn't know and for some reason didn't care―was cold, his body was cold, and he felt ice in his chest. His heart ached, but this warmth―even if it was not much―overwhelmed the cold that had become his loyal companion ever since he came to be.

This feeling... It made him feel... Happy. It reminded him of a transient happiness. A happiness that he believe he couldn't relive again, yet here he was, feeling a peculiar joy that he could not describe.

He couldn't pinpoint what it was then, but he was sure that whatever the thing was―it reassured him that he was still alive, even if he wasn't really living.

* * *

Ayuzawa Misaki let the events replay in her head. She couldn't help it. Her brain was like a broken record going on and on, over and over again.

He was there.

He was there, and all she did was watch.

She managed to scream his name, but it was as if her body had a mind of its own after that.

She couldn't―didn't move. She watched him as the truck came, and she didn't even approach his almost lifeless body that lay on the icy road. Hinata had arrived at the scene broadcasting his son's name, and rushed into action when he saw the bloodied man. She witnessed all these things, and all she did was watch. Even Kyo had tried to help, but she?

 _She was just watching._

The raven-haired looked at the ceiling of the lift that she was in right now. She was shocked to see that she looked as calm as she could ever be. Not a drop of sweat was on her forehead, nor did she find tears brimming at her eyes. Her amber orbs had no story to tell, and one could not figure out what she was thinking.

Misaki was always told that unlike her sister Suzuna, she was an open book.

 _'But why',_ she asked herself, ' _do I look so emotionless right now?  
_ _Shouldn't I be feeling sad?'_

The mien on his face was embedded clearly on her memory.

The doors of the elevator opened, and suddenly, she ran to the room where she was told a certain Usui Takumi would be. She found this behaviour of hers rather strange because she had been so impassive earlier, and now she was running.

As she arrived at her destination, she took a gulp before resting her hand on the cold, metal doorknob. Despite her hand on it, she could feel it growing colder.

 _'Wait, what if he's already awake?'_

Ayuzawa Misaki felt the hesitation impaling a huge hole in her heart. Her knees were threatening to cave in. The woman's blood drained as she remembered him saying her name. His voice was hoarse. Guttural. Like it had not been used for years. He sounded so hurt... so betrayed. The way he had said her name felt as if he regretted seeing her again.

 _'Of course he would.'_

Slowly, she backed away from the door, dubious with her decision.

It would only make things worse if she would visit him now; it had been five years after all, and she disappeared without even telling him the reason why she had left. She left Seika High and Maid Latté, and her family moved to a new city. Everything had changed since then.

Everything else did, but her feelings for him.

Even if Usui Takumi did not care about her anymore, and even if he has someone else in his heart now, she knew that somewhere in the past, she still hurt him. He loved her too much then, and she knew that.

 _What would and should she do when she sees him again? How would and could she explain herself? How would he react if he saw her again? What should she say? That she came to check on him to see if he was doing well?_

 _How could and should she tell him that she came because she was worried?_

He would probably laugh if he heard her say that she still cared.

Shaking all thoughts free, Misaki sucked in a sharp breath as she walked back to where she had been earlier, clutched the knob and turned it without thinking twice.

She didn't care anymore. She was sick of pretending that she was alright without him. She didn't care if he'd push her away. She found that whatever she did, it would always, always be associated with him.

Ayuzawa Misaki couldn't lie to herself.

Usui Takumi had beautifully ruined all things good and bad for her. She found that their paths would always cross, and his existence would never fail to overlap hers. No matter where she looked, there was never a moment in her life in which she failed to think of him. Her choice or not, he had become a part of her.

Screw the letter―the Walkers―screw everything.

 _She had to see him._

* * *

He could feel the pull of reality trying to free him. Somewhere deep within him was begging his body to wake up, but he was paralysed. Free-falling into a dark abyss, he was helpless and unable to move.

The blond could see her face ever so clearly in his mind. He could see her laughing, and then she had an angry expression donned on her face. A smile was tugging at the corner of her lips, and then he could see her crying like a child. Images of Ayuzawa Misaki from the time they met were appearing here and there, but he couldn't do anything except watch her almost palpable figure coming closer, and then growing distant whenever he tried to extend his hands out to her.

Takumi could feel his arms struggling to move, but all his efforts were vain. His stubborn body rendered them nugatory. He was stuck; a prisoner of himself.

 _'"Please understand, if I see you again,_ _don't even say hello."'_

Her walking away from him was the last thing he saw before his eyes opened. He reached out to her, but all he could see was her back and her dark hair growing distant and distant―growing out of reach.

Her scream reverberated in his ears, echoing in his mind.

 _'"USUI!"'_

He woke up gasping. He was drenched in his own sweat. His body felt hot, but he was freezing.

 _'"Oji-san―WATCH OUT!"'_

That scream―he was sure that it was the little boy in his building. In fact, he had seen him somewhere―in his dream. He had dreamt that they were in front of Maid Latté; the boy was even talking fondly of his mother as he warned the man about being safe around roads.

 _Why did he see the little boy in his dream?_

But the strangest thing of all was that he had seen her. Ayuzawa Misaki was there with the little boy.

 _Was it actually real?_

His temples throbbed in pain, but it didn't matter.

 _'It has to be the alcohol',_ the man told himself as he let out a chuckle, ' _This has happened before._ _You fucked up badly this time though.'_

The blond shut his eyes tight, letting the tears flow. He spent all his nights dreaming of her, but this time felt nothing but real.

The world really can be shitty, but finding that out the hard way is shittier than anything it can hurl at you.

 _'How long will I have to endure before I can see you again?_ _  
I know that you will only be alive in the whiskey that I drink,  
_ _through my dreams when I am asleep,  
and when it's all over, you'll be gone as you always were._

 _What should and can I do to make you stay, even if I won't be able to hold you?_

 _Tell me, Ayuzawa Misaki._

 _If we were to see each other again,  
_ _can you tell I haven't slept very well since the last time that we spoke?'_

He was probably just hallucinating, and the warmth that he felt earlier was his body trying to comfort him.

 _'The warmth?'_

Laughs ceased and tears dried, Usui Takumi swiftly swished his head to his left, ignoring the acute pain that followed right after. As bloodshot as his eyes were and as blurry his vision could get, what he saw―he was certain―was no hallucination.

The same woman that was in his dream was by his side―sitting on a chair, asleep and gripping his left hand as if her very own life depended on it.

* * *

(1) Takumi was really exhausted and pretty much deadass here, so he couldn't think about why the warmth was really familiar. He was actually getting to it, but he was interrupted with the whole warmth thing.

Yoll are probably confused, but if you read closely, you'll understand that Takumi does not remember getting hit by a truck. He thinks that seeing Kyo in front of the café was a dream, as well as seeing the boy with Misaki. So he blames the alcohol for that haha.

 **A/n: I don't know if it happens to you guys but it does (quite often, actually) to me. It's horrifying really―seeing gory images and such whilst you know you're asleep yet you can't wake up no matter how hard you try. You can't breathe, and you're stuck in another dimension with all your fears and anxieties. You're screaming at yourself to wake up, but you can't hear anything. There's the deafening silence haunting you. You're just stuck there, and you're afraid that if you don't try to get up, you won't ever get to.**

 **Then (finally aND THANKFULLY lol) you just jolt up sweating and you're scared to go back to sleep because you know―you know that you'll see them again if you do.**

 **I figured that seeing Misaki from 5 years ago (as well as remembering Kyo screaming) would trigger his senses and force him to wake up. Something like that.**

 **I don't actually like this chapter. I kinda feel like I could've done better, and at the same time I know I can't. Please let me know your thoughts. I'd really love to know them.** **:D**


	10. Chapter 9: Distorted

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

 **29/03/17**

 **HIYO! It's been 11 days since I last updated, which I don't think is as bad as my usual monthly updates :D And if yoll havent done so, please give mikanlove a very late birthday wish as it was her bday on the 7th! I love you my bae bee mikan (*whispers* you ass hat)!**

 **Anyhow, I'd like to extend my love to those who have followed and favourited, as well as those who reviewed! KittyKissez, violet167, _Patricia Walker,_ Afe Niel, Takumisa17, Padfoot Starfyre, _Minniemiss123,_ and Samara16** **！**

 **I love you all. Like really.**

 **WARNING: Er, profanity overload? I guess you could say it was "too much" ;u;**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Distorted**

* * *

 _[5 years ago]_

Usui Takumi felt himself being hollowed. The children in the park had gone home, and so had the faint glow of the sun. It had been two hours since, and the young man hasn't moved still. His legs grew weaker and weaker as time passed and the night grew colder, yet he didn't budge. The reality of the situation was still not in his grasp; her words still foreign to his system; the meaning of it all still too much for him to comprehend.

A notification made his phone light up―the sudden bright light making him flinch instinctively, but what he saw made his heart swell in such agony that Takumi thought he would break down.

There was a calendar reminder―one that they both customised.

 **Tomorrow: 24 Dec XXXX**  
 **Christmas Day**

 **Me and my cute girlfriend Ayuzawa will be celebrating our anniversary tomorrow.  
Ｉ ｌｏｖｅ ｙｏｕ…..φ(｡･ω･｡ ) -U **

_Usui's the biggest stupid idiot! I will have to deal with him for who knows how long.  
Help! (_/ `o´ )_/ but maybe it's not so bad. XP -A _

He knew the meaning behind her words then. They were playful; they conveyed her love. He remembered seeing her blush when he showed her what he was busying himself with in his phone, and so in a fit of agitation that he managed to elicit such a response from her, she snatched it away from him to add her own comments.

Takumi looked at his phone's lock screen―it was blurred due to the notification covering it.

He watched as the reminder disappeared, and the picture of the two of them had grown clear.

Or so he thought.

Because the moment he saw her flushed face, his eyes welled up, and the image had grown blurry again.

* * *

Usui Takumi blinked once more to confirm what he was seeing. Her raven tresses were messily strewn in front of her face, but he could see, despite his visual impairment, her wrinkled forehead and her pouted lips, as if she was having a bad dream.

Wanting to part her dark hair to confirm his still underlying suspicions that he was just hallucinating, Takumi lifted his right arm up, but was stopped when he felt a light tug at his right hand. There was an IV line inserted in it, and the blond had never felt so lost.

He was confused.

Why was he here?

.

.

.

 _Why was she here?_

As if answering his questions, vague images of a rusty white pickup truck suddenly became fresh at the back of his mind, and then he could see it all.

Maid Latté; the boy with the golden irises who spoke a little too much of his mother; the falling snow; the icy road.

He could see all these things, yet what he remembered last was something that made his stomach churn. It left a bitter taste at the back of his throat, and soon did he feel the earth-shattering pain that made his whole body tremble.

 _'"'Kaa-chan, how does he know your name?"'_

It felt as if it was expanding. He imagined it like a drop of water falling on a pond, creating endless ripples that only grew larger and larger, disturbing its once peaceful state. From the tips of his toes til the tops of his ears, he could feel the rather irritable and excruciating pain that grew stronger as time passed by. The ticking of the wall clock across the hospital bed echoed throughout the spacious room, only increasing the anxiety and all pent-up emotions that the blond was stomaching.

 _ **'"Kaa-chan..."'**_

He was hurting so much, but he knew that the tightening in his chest hurt the most compared to all the wounds that caked his body. Even whilst he was lying on his back, Usui Takumi could feel and count all his scratches and bruises, as well as regions of him which he was aware were now made of tattered flesh and broken bones. The impact with the moving vehicle was something he remembered clearly, and he knew that he blacked out before the air in his lungs had been knocked out.

•••

 _[flashback]_

He had arrived at his apartment; a bunch of beer bottles and cheese chunks had become his friendly companions. With shaky hands, he clumsily dialed her phone number in hopes of hearing her voice once again, only to find out that it was invalid and no longer existed.

He had called her countless times, even when he knew that there was no one behind the line to answer his calls.

•••

Takumi tried his best at returning the action of holding her hand as tight as she was holding his, but only managed to wriggle his fingers in the slightest bit possible.

The pain that he was now carrying was incomparable to what his heart was going through.

She had in fact found someone else, just like she said to him then, and the fruit of her love with the lucky―no―the blessed bastard, was as beautiful as her. Her amber eyes―those ardent golden orbs that burned with so much passion; her soft skin; her sweet scent. These things were all conspicuous in the little brown-haired boy―Kyo, right?

Takumi forced his fingers to hold on to hers as much as he could, and cherished the warmth that she shared with him. This was, after all, the first time in what seemed to be forever that he could hold her hand again, and the realist inside him was certain―that this would probably be the last.

* * *

Misaki opened her eyes to a bandaged arm.

She looked at the hand that she was holding, failing to notice his attempts at holding her hand back. She frowned at the exposed fingers; they were covered in band-aid strips.

For some reason, Misaki had the urge to bend down and kiss the brown patches that laced his slender fingers.

She remembers how she had cried so much at the sight of him sleeping on the hospital bed. As peaceful as he may have looked, she knew that he was hurting. The doctors had said that there were no issues associated with the brain and his memory, and that the worst that could happen was that he may not remember what had happened to him once he woke up.

Despite this, she cried openly.

Though no sounds were heard from the young woman, she cried the way a neglected infant would.

She cried too much.

She cried as if she was crying for all the five years that they were apart, but she was as silent as the distance between them.

With her face in her hands, she burrowed into the corner near his bed and bit her lip to muffle anything that might wake him, and soon did she feel his presence lulling her to sleep, in which she grabbed a chair and laid on the side of the hospital bed, claiming his hand as her own.

•••

Sitting up, Misaki stretched the elastic band that was on her wrist around her tangled hair. She had not noticed the man who laid awake beside her who was now stealthily watching her every move as she untied the furoshiki that wrapped the fruit basket which she brought with her.

She had taken a red apple from the bunch, and was now slicing it into bunny apples the way that her mother had taught her to.

"Will he even eat this?" The raven-haired woman muttered to herself as she struggled to shape the fruit's "ears".

As much as he wanted to answer her rhetorical question, he had kept quiet, afraid that she would run away if she noticed that he was no longer asleep.

The silence between them was only disturbed by the sound of the knife terribly slicing the apple into rather funny-looking bunny shapes, along with her casual yet seemingly bothered hums.

She hummed a low tune, but Takumi found it sad instead of soothing.

Her hums were distorted.

If it had been five years ago, Takumi would've teased her and called her tone deaf, but instead, he watched her from afar, admiring her ever unchanging self. The only thing that had changed since he last saw her was her hair: it had been cut shorter. Nevertheless, her unadorned beauty remained, and Takumi knew this even if her back was turned on him.

Closing his eyes, he let himself bask in her presence. He did not know how to react to what was happening. He only knew that there was pain. Despite the anaesthesia that he had probably been provided with, there was still too much of it.

 _'Too much.'_

The blond inadvertently groaned as he felt an electrifying jolt of pain run through his right leg, to which she stiffened before dashing to his aid.

Not knowing what to do, Misaki was about to run out of the room to call for a nurse when she was stopped by the sound of his voice.

 _"Don't."_

Withdrawing her unsteady hand from the knob, she slowly spun on her feet and turned around to face him.

Usui Takumi was startled at the sight of her crying. Her eyes and her nose were undeniably red; her cheeks puffy; and her face contorted like that of a child who lost her favourite teddy bear. Her lips quivered slightly before shaping into a sorrowful pout as her right hand tightened on a bruised apple slice.

"I―I t-thought you― I thought you would―"

 _Fuck, she still looked beautiful even when she cried._

Before he could muster the strength to say her name, she ran to him. Crushing her face in a manner not too gentle against his broad chest, Misaki let her tears flow freely as she repeated his name over and over again like a mantra, before realising that she did not have any right to do so.

No.

 _Not anymore._

She backed away before bowing her head apologetically, to which Takumi found the sudden rush of strength to sit up to.

"Fuck―fuck, please, I know you don't have a reason to, but please...  
Please, Misaki, please stay."

Overwhelmed by fatigue, Usui Takumi braced for the rough impact when he felt his body about to collapse back onto the bed, and so was in a caught off guard when he felt that her arms had caught him; they had found their place around his neck as she hugged him, and she buried her face into his neck.

The blond felt his internal organs being squished and his side getting soaked by the forgotten apple which she had dropped, but he didn't give a fuck either way.

He let her fit her body against his like a glove, and because he was unable to do the same, he could only pat her back awkwardly in a vain attempt to hug her back.

He let her whisper words he couldn't understand in his ear, nevertheless they sounded sweet to him. He let her warm breath and her hot tears glide over the smooth hairs of his skin as her lips lightly grazed his cheek, soothing the scratches there. He let her cry softly against his loose light blue patient gown as she drenched him in her emotions.

Usui Takumi let all these things happen, not because he couldn't do anything about it, but because he missed her too much.

Although one will be confused and destroyed and other terms in different languages expressed into a sentence when reunited with the one that he loved after so many years in such strange circumstances, Usui Takumi pushed these confusions along with the memory of the little boy―her son Kyo―to the back of his head; beyond his unconscious as he defied Freud's laws; and let Ayuzawa Misaki show that she too, still cared for him despite the years that had passed.

Usui Takumi pushed all these unanswered questions and unfinished matters into the far far somewhere, and completely shut them out of his existence as he looked into the eyes that he had missed so much. Morals and trepidations aside, his left hand blindly navigated for Misaki's nape, and despite its limp state, it managed to hold her in place as he crashed his chapped lips against her soft ones, to which he found she did not protest to.

 _'Five fucking years. Five fucking years and I only grew to love you more.'_

* * *

 **A/n: Furoshiki is a traditional cloth used by the Japanese to wrap clothes, goods, gifts, or food. Stuff like that. If you guys have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the review section, and throw in a bunch of thoughts while you're at it too! Bee-san will try to do Bee-san's best and update faster than before! :D**

 **Forever loving my bees, goodnight from where I am, and make it a great day/night! *buzzes off to dreamland***


	11. Chapter 10: Welcomed

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

 **23/04/17**

 **Well, it looks like I really am back to monthly updates. I extend my love to all my bees! Please know that the favourites, the follows and the reviews that I get are dear to my heart!**

 **Well, I started watching _W ―Two Worlds_ a few days ago, and I have just finished ep5! That made me wonder, what if Takumi and Misaki will come from the ffn world to get me for making them suffer!? **

**Well, I'm not their creator, so hopefully I will not be blamed! D:**

 **Moving on to the reviews (sorry for not replying last time! Please know that I still appreciate your reviews just as much even if I don't reply!)...**

 **anindya596– Ahh your review got me squealing! So glad that you liked my details love, and yes, hopefully the misunderstandings will be cleared up!**

 **Takumisa17– Aww thank you for your continued support! :D**

 ** _Naz123–_ Nah dude. _You're_ awesome ;) Thank you! **

**_Patricia Walker–_ Your review makes me cry whenever I read it. I am blushing 26/7. Now I'm so scared that my quality of writing will go down, but nevertheless, thank you so so so much! **

**Padfoot Starfyre– YESS you're right over there! Thank you for the tips, and of course, for the continued support since day 1! All my love~!**

 ** _Minniemiss123–_ Ahh ilysm omg. Thank you forever for sticking up with me even though I take years to update gah! I'm so glad that my writing paid off, and that I was able to convey their emotions properly! **

**_Candy2045–_ I still owe you an early chapter (please email me at 7996696 at Gmail dotcom for one!), but thank you so much! **

**Juliastes– IKR! And thank you so much for still reading, Juliastes! It really is an honour to have you reading my story/ies :)**

 **Samara16– Now now, that'd be too easy wouldn't it ;) But hmm let's find out. And thank you so much! Imy Samara!**

 **mikanlove– I will say it again because you really did get me ahh wtf. I'm not even kidding, and I want to strangle you for it! ILY MIKAN I HOPE YOU'RE STILL ALIVE.**

 ** _smellysocks16–_ You're one of my favourite reviewers, really. Thanks for the honesty! I really do appreciate it! **

**Happy reading to all my readers, and please tell me which parts you liked, as well as those you didn't! I really do hope that this chapter will be 'welcomed' ;D** **Well, a very late Happy Easter to my Christian readers! And Christian or not, God bless everyone!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Welcomed**

* * *

The feel of her lips against his was like a wave meeting shore for the first time―so new, yet so natural.

And just like the shore, the wave was welcomed.

Every bump and hump on her lips was a rather wild ride for Takumi, yet he knew the directions all too well, and only then did he realise that he never memorised something in such a detailed manner the way he memorised her soft, soft lips.

Their kiss was gentle and unhurried. One couldn't call it sweet because in a way or another, it wasn't. It brought back memories unwanted but remembered dearly, as well as the jocund days of vanilla innocence when the only thing that was impure to Misaki was him being a "perverted alien". It brought back these happy times, and the unhappy thing about that is because they believed―they believed that things could never be like that again.

Despite this, emotions that were tucked in and well-hidden behind the masks that they wore forced their way out. Anger, frustration, despair, loneliness, regret―all these flowed out as their lips tangled in a sweet embrace. They both felt the hurt and sorrow that they inflicted upon each other, and he welcomed the melancholic hello that she wished him with. Takumi knew better than hoping, nevertheless, he bet his whole existence on a thinning thread, and in his heart he had hoped that he was right when he felt something else through their kiss.

He knew that he shouldn't, but he hoped anyway. He hoped that he was right when he felt it, and his hopes heightened even in the slightest bit possible when she outlined his jaw with the tips of her fingers, as if urging him not to let go.

Usui Takumi almost forgot everything that surrounded them, that is, until he heard a voice that sang in perfect pitch, mercilessly slicing through the thread of hope that he―with the whole of his being and soul―desperately clung to.

 _'"'Kaa-chan!"'_

No one else heard it but him.

 _ **'"'Kaa-chan!"'**_

His stomach flipped like a boat in a storm, and his body ached as he felt her softness against his. Shoving the child's hearty laugh that tore at his soul out of his head, Takumi groaned as he felt her fingertips move until they rested on his shoulder, lightly pressing on the skin that was exposed by his hospital gown, and at the same time, pulling him much closer.

Time did not stop for the both of them to think, rather, it only existed for them to feel. The cool air-conditioning provided by the hospital room did not help, and Misaki thought she was going mad when she felt that it only brought in more heat.

Takumi continued to kiss her, and for a moment he was confused as to where and how he was gaining the strength to do so. He continued to kiss her, and she willingly accepts and even deepens it, somehow taking the lead as he exhausted himself and used every last ounce of the energy that he had. Every part of his body that she had touched burned, but he did not complain about the smoke. He threw himself into the fire, and they continued to kiss until they could not breathe.

Usui Takumi bit her lower lip, before tracing his tongue over it, and he let go. _A millimetre distance._ That was all that was between them, but she already felt so far.

 _And just like the wave, it will leave the shore._

Usui Takumi knew that this was not a dream as he felt her hot breath fanning against his, oddly calming the fires that she ignited. He didn't know why, but his lips stung as she panted before him, and Takumi had to hold back. He liked the way it hurt. He liked it too much that if he leaned in one more time, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Not even the fact that he was hospitalised would stop him.

 _No. Not even if she was married._

Consumed by exhaustion and acceptance of defeat, he huffed a breath as he looked down at his right hand; his left still lingered at her shoulder before draping down and setting on his lap.

"You", he breathed as he reached for the buttons that were conveniently on the side of the hospital bed, pressing on one that raised the top half of the bed a little higher. "You―why didn't you stop me?"

Looking up, he burned a hole into her orbs as he stared her down. "Why did you do that? Why did you let that happen?" He spat the words out bitterly, leering at her as if she was bile.

"I―It just..."

Though his voice was hoarse and his throat dry, Takumi was still capable of speaking, but he didn't let out the words that he had been dying to say.

 _'Just say you love me and I'll say I'm sorry. I don't want anybody else to feel this way.'_

He knew that it made him selfish and irrational, and he probably knew the answer to his questions already, but he loved her too much, and when you love someone too much, hope is inevitable.

Misaki took the cake of courage and stepped back from the bed where she had previously been straddling the patient awkwardly, passionately lip-locked with him in a heated kiss. Said patient resorted back to lying on the bed, obviously drained by fatigue.

She had no words to stutter; no sorries to give, because she knew in her heart that she wasn't sorry at all. She opened her mouth to speak, but could only exhale softly as she found herself tongue-tied.

Takumi cleared his throat. "I apologise for what has happened. It was a mistake on my part, and I did not realise that I forced myself on you. I hope that this will be overlooked... _Ayuzawa-san."_

Misaki's eyes almost shot out of her head as she heard her surname being addressed, _with an honorific._ It was never "Ayuzawa-san"―that was only reserved for her mother. It was only "Misa-chan", "Ayuzawa" or...

She blushed as she remembered him saying the three-syllable word. _'"Misaki."'_

She was thankful that he found his IV tubing the most interesting thing in the world at that moment.

Cursing herself for being flustered at such a time, the dark-haired woman responded―by accident she did, actually―to the man's formal apology, "I―I apologise too... I didn't―I―"

Just then, a knock came upon the door, and entered two nurses and a man dressed in white.

"Good evening, Mr. Walker, and...?" The doctor looked to Misaki, waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Oh, uhm, Ayuzawa Misaki, I'm―"

"Good evening to you too, Ayuzawa-san", he greeted, rather hurried. "I apologise for the rude interruption, but", he turned to the blond before bowing, "I am Dr. Kawashima, and I came to bring you Mr. Walker for tests. It will take only a few hours. Are you well enough or would you still like to rest?"

Misaki felt a slight painful tug at her heartstrings when Takumi shook his head―he didn't even look her way to wordlessly say that he had to go.

The doctor bowed and smiled. "Well, is it alright if we take you out on a wheelchair?

"Yes."

Nodding, the doctor instructed one of his nurses to manipulate the control clamp so that the IV tubing could be removed, and so that a cannula stopper could be placed. Takumi was then assisted to be seated on a wheelchair.

The doctor gave a slight chuckle to Misaki, saying that he would be taking her boyfriend for a while, only to be cut off by the blond, who despite his state, still managed to speak.

"She's not my girlfriend. Ms. Ayuzawa is only a visitor."

Embarrassed, the doctor apologised countless times, to which Misaki could only give a nervous smile to.

She was once again met with the deafening silence the moment the door clicked close.

The absence of noise along with the cool air wrenched the woman's heart. It felt so cold that it was almost impossible to feel cold like that.

Misaki thought she would cry, but she didn't. She double-tapped on the screen of her phone to awaken it, only to be met by a message which read:

 **Only 10 days left til Christmas! Text 'YES123' to 4848 to receive 2GB of data for only ¥4400! Offer lasts before 24th of December. Please contact your local service provider for more information.**

Everything, yes, everything would always have something to do with him.

Misaki shook her head before proceeding to call her sister, who had now left her with six missed calls.

"Hey Suzuna. I'm sorry for not answering. Please don't worry about me. I will be coming home soon", she said to the voicemail before ending the unanswered call she attempted to make.

Ayuzawa Misaki made her way out of the building, letting her own feet take her to wherever they could.

It was cold wherever she went.

Looking up at the hospital, their kiss already felt so long ago.

The cold seemed to stop and freeze any tears from falling.

.

.

Misaki could only welcome it with open arms.

* * *

As Takumi was escorted by nurses to private elevators and 'restricted-from-anyone-else-but-the-high-society' shortcuts―privileged by his name, profile, and annual yet grand donations to the medical centre―his thoughts were a batter of ingredients that didn't make any sense.

He had kissed Ayuzawa Misaki.

He had kissed Ayuzawa Misaki and Ayuzawa Misaki had kissed him back.

But it didn't make any sense, and it couldn't in any way that he pieced the puzzle. He didn't know how to feel, and he didn't even know if he was sorry towards her... husband and son, or any other kids that she had for that matter.

He hated himself for acknowledging them, and accepting what he had to accept.

The resonating pain that echoed in his head did not disappear, and it did not aid him in figuring out why she didn't stop him.

 _'Why would you kill me, and then leave me in hopes that I could live again?'_

He had hoped earlier that he had felt even the slightest bit of her love―her love that was only for him and him alone, but shrugged it off as he was wheeled to another wing of the hospital.

Maybe it was due to fatigue, or maybe it was because he stopped trying to deny that she was with someone else now, but either way, Takumi did not realise that she introduced herself as Ayuzawa, and when he did, it was too late.

The darkness came and swept his senses away, rendering him incapable from resisting being whisked away to a peaceful slumber. He could only welcome the lethargy that arrived, as well as the despondency that it brought with it.

* * *

 **A/n: I know it's weird but for some parts I used Japanese honorifics, and for some I didn't. I felt that it suited the situation more in those moments, since I am writing in English, nevertheless things mean the same. I don't know.**


	12. Chapter 11: A Sibling's Love

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!**

 **05/08/17**

 **Warning: OOC + very sh1tty (don't worry, ArrowBee doesn't cuss in real life)**

 **Everyone's reviews made me tear up ,_, ! DID I REALLY WRITE A GOOD KISSING SCENE? DID I REALLY NOW! Hah, I don't even know how to wave at the person I fancy. *awkward cricket noises* WELL**

 **SHOUTOUT TO MY BEES who are capable of making ArrowBee squeal to the max:  
** **anindya956** **―** **THANK YOU SO MUCH omg. I'm sorry I won't ever meet your standards again ,_, THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS REVIEWING**

 ** _Patricia Walker_** **― I HAVE FANS?! WOAHHH I'm gonna scream! I'M TRYING TO THINK OF HOW I CAN MAKE MY FUTURE CHAPTERS SPICIER. I guess _Stay_ will end soon, and I'm not even sure if I want a happy ending HAHAHAHA. Do y'all even want that? Anyhow, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THANK YOU! I'M ACTUALLY GONNA CRY I really can't omg why are you all so nice I feel so horrible cos this is a really bad chapter rip. I'M SORRY BUT PLEASE KNOW I LOVE YOU ,_,**

 **Takumisa17** **― Oh noooo T_T A horrible chapter from ArrowBee. Thank you for always reading though ,_,**

 **mikanlove** **― I AM ALLOWED TO END IT LIKE THAT. And you're always standing somewhere watching people in their moments. I can imagine you actually doing something like that lmaooo ily bae bee THANK YOU SO MUCH ! P.S. Never stop sliding into mah dms ;;;)**

 ** _Minniemiss123_** **― I'm so sorry to disappoint. Took me too long to update and I can't cook up bring something decent. I'm really sorry but thank you so much for supporting me (not only in writing, but other things as well ahh) always. I love you. I love you all. I just. CAN'T. DO. ANYTHING. RIGHT.**

 ** _pinkpuffle_** **― (GUYS this is actually my sister lmao) I'm gonna make it so detailed that a whole chapter is going to be about Misaki blinking. Hah.**

 **Padfoot Starfyre** **― Heh I'm hoping that the misunderstandings will be cleared too. And I'm sorry for being unrealistic and rushing things ,_, I can explain myself by the end of this fanfic though, so I hope you understand why I did that! And thank you for always reading!**

 **Juliastes** **― I FEEL BAD FOR HIM TOO BUT I just can't do anything about it T_T Sometimes I wish that he didn't have to suffer so much, but THANK YOU SO MUCH Juliastes! Thank you for reading and always dropping a review!**

 **Samara16** **― Eek I'm not making them suffer. Takumi's being an idiot, and Misaki can't chill. They're making themselves suffer lmao (jkjk I'm sorry). THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE READ THOUGH, AND HERE'S THE (really bad) NEXT CHAPTER! I HOPE YOU'RE DOING BETTER THAN THEM THOUGH**

 **ShadowOfDarkness2004** **―** **Aww you're sweeter than honey (hehe). AND I LOVE YOUR PUNS! I LOVE PUNS. I BREATHE PUNS. PUNvPUN me m8 (haha, so punny 1v1) THANK YOU SHADOW!**

 ** _unknown_** **― I'm so angry at myself please don't wait for updates. This is a horrible chapter. Nevertheless, THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME SMILE. I DON'T DESERVE THIS MUCH LOVE BUT THANK YOU.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: A Sibling's Love**

* * *

 _It made the kind of sound it was expected to make as it rolled on the table, turning in circles before eventually halting to a stop._

 _"He wanted you to have it. Said it was very dear to Mother."_

 _The man took it between his fingers, and saw engraved on the metal band of gold, names he did not expect to see._

 _The ring's golden shank was home to a lot of scratches, in contrast to the spotless stone of emerald that laid secure on the metal band's prongs._

 _They were wearing away that Takumi himself was unsure if he had read right, but it was decipherable enough._

 _And it was plain to the eye to see what had once been there._

* * *

The soft tingling of a ringtone wrenched his eyes open, managing to furrow his eyebrows in the process so that he wore an irritated expression. He cursed himself for intuitively bringing the device with him, as the caller was none other than his half-brother, with which the blond had known immediately because of the ringtone that he had chosen for the nosey man.

His eyes softened as he sighed, and Takumi answered the call.

"Gerard."

 _"I heard."_

"And?"

 _"Are you doing well?"_

 _'Well I was until you called.'_ "For someone who has been hit by a truck, yes, yes I'm doing well. Now what do you want?"

 _"Expect me with a bouquet of flowers that you like best. And lose the tone, brother dear. You're grumpy for someone who has been hit by a truck."_

"You can leave without me", Takumi stated, "I'm sure that you can get on a jet by yourself just fine."

 _"Did I not just ask you to expect my presence?"_

"Fuck off, Gerard."

And even if they were only a door away from their destination, Takumi still asked to be brought back to his room. His words said otherwise, but the man felt that he would want to be there: Gerard, after all, could arrive at any time.

He knew his reputation of being an asshole had tripled, after taking advantage of his name and position to get what he wanted, and not too long ago, he had shamelessly made out with the wife of another man.

With that last thought in mind, Takumi wondered how he would face her again when he returned, only to find that she, _like before,_ had abandoned him.

He smirked, obviously, because he had done the abandoning.

Usui Takumi asked for the bruising apples to be placed by his side, and once again did he fall asleep, exhaustion rendering him helpless as he clung to the faint taste of soap on the apples that lay on the inside of his cheek.

 _He could still feel her lips on his._

* * *

Ayuzawa Misaki woke up when she felt the surface beneath her move and wobble.

Her eyes did not take long to readjust, aided by the little blue night light at the corner of the room as well as the dimmed rays of sunlight peeping behind the curtained windows, and soon did she see the little desk, the little chair, and all the little things that surrounded her. There were stuffed animals here and there, as well as drawings of a family she had recognised easily.

The faint smell of citrus and baby powder roamed the air, and Misaki knew that this could only be―

 _'Kyo's room.'_

She could recall Suzuna finding her yesterday, where she was moping about the benches not far from the hospital. After feeling guilty that she had passed out at such a situation, the younger Ayuzawa decided to visit her sister, only to find her half-dead and half-alive on her way to the building.

Finally sitting up, something she figured as a damp piece of cloth fell on her lap, and in what had felt like forever, Misaki smiled for the first time, that was, at her sister's loving gesture.

Not wanting to wake anyone up, the woman stood up, making sure not to fall off the waterbed.

Turning the lights on, she wondered how she could inform her sister of her departure without waking her up. A small digital clock told her that it was half past six in the morning, and with that knowledge, Misaki grabbed a pencil―courtesy of her nephew's pen holder―and a sheet of paper that seemed to have been forgotten on the floor.

A note of thanks and endless apologies was going to be written, until the raven-haired heard an eerie voice creeping into her ear.

"'Nee-chan, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah! S-Suzuna...?"

Amber met amber as the older woman turned to face her sister. She could feel bitter tears pricking at her eyes, but paid no heed to these otherwise.

"No need for that, 'nee-chan", Suzuna hugged her sister. "Don't worry. I'll come with you."

* * *

Usui Takumi was once again awakened by a ringtone he was growing rather tired of.

"What is it now?"

 _"Didn't I tell you to expect me?"_

"And?"

 _"I'll be there around seven."_

* * *

Shintani Kyo bit his lip as he laid out the reality of the predicament that he was in. It wasn't because his mother had woken him up earlier than she should've―his issue was way, well, _bigger._

To begin with, there was an uncomfortable something that settled in his denim shorts, and he knew what it meant; he knew it well enough after existing for four years.

He would've complied in telling his mother, if not for the seriousness of the situation. Shintani Kyo knew this as one could count the times his mother fidgeted with her fingers; Suzuna was calmer than the definition of serenity. As they trudged their way onto the big white building with the big nasty needles, Kyo noted how she continued to pace her fingers back and forth, as if counting the seconds that had passed.

"'Kaa-san..."

His mother was still flicking her fingers to and fro, and the unsettling inconvenience never left the space that seemed to tighten in his shorts.

 _"'Kaa-san..."_

His tone was impatient, and Kyo felt as if he had disrespected the high heavens for using such a tone on his mother. But as his shorts grew more irritating and as the sight of water dispensers made him feel like tearing his hair out, the brunet knew that he had to, for Suzuna was lost in her own world when she started doing who-knows-what with her hands.

 _"Okaa-san!"_

Suzuna's eyes widened at her son's voice, and a single glance at him told her what he needed.

"Onee-chan", she whispered to her sister. "Kyo needs to use the washroom. Go on ahead! I'll just call you after he's done!"

"Oh, okay! I'll―I'll go with Hinata then!" Misaki replied, watching her sister run off with her nephew.

"Well, I guess we should get going", yawned the brunet beside her. "Ne, Misaki, you..." Shintani Hinata paused for a while, trying to find the right words. "You remember where his room is right?"

"Y-Yeah... Let's go?"

Hinata smiled as he ruffled her layered hair, and Misaki felt herself loosening up; her cheeks warmed at her brother-in-law's loving gesture. "Don't think about it too much. We're all here, you know. Suzuna even woke Kyo and I up―we're all here for you."

Misaki pursed her lips as she smiled. "I know."

* * *

The blond blinked lazily as he stared at the ceiling. It was six-fifty in the morning, and Gerard was bound to come soon. He clicked his tongue; the painkillers have begun to work their magic.

Gerard's call rendered his efforts in falling back asleep futile. Takumi fiddled with the buttons that were placed beside him, so that he would be able to sit up. His brother's words back at the café echoed in his mind, and what he had seen was a testimony of what had been.

 _"He wanted you to have it. Said it was very dear to Mother."_

A dry laugh escaped his throat.

But why now?

 _Why would the old man want to patch things up now?_

He reached for this coat pocket, only to remember that he had been clad in a hospital gown for more than a day.

A knock came by the door, and a petite nurse entered the room. "Mr. Walker, you have two visitors. Shall I let them in?"

Knowing well who his visitors would be, the blond nodded as he turned away from the door, and when he heard footsteps making their way in did he speak. "I thought you would have outgrown Cedric by now, Gerard", Takumi teased. "If you weren't going back to England by yourself, then you should've at least let him go."

A chuckle barely made its way out of his throat when Takumi turned to face his visitors, for he did not expect to see standing by the door a certain raven-haired woman holding her breath as his eyes locked with hers.

There stood Ayuzawa Misaki, her fists clenched so tight that they were white. And beside her was―

 _Beside her was... Shintani Hinata?_

* * *

 **A/n: HOW WAS THAT PLEASE BE HONEST I WILL ACCEPT IT ALL.**

 **Well, lmao okay why do I feel like the Gerard-Takumi relationship is pretty much like Mycroft's and Sherlock's. Wooh hello to my fellow Sherlockians kick my ass I'm not updated (no S4 spoilers pls).**

 **Just saying, all suggestions are welcome, and I think it'd be really fun to experiment on everyone's ideas, so whatever you think is gonna happen, go ahead and say it! :D I have a rough sketch of the future plot in mind, but I would still like to know YOUR thoughts :)**

 **I would also like to take this time to apologise for any errors in my fics. Sometimes, no matter how much you proofread, some things will be overlooked. I may also have grammatical errors―it would be nice if you guys could tell me where I'm lacking, and what I could improve on! To those who have done so, thank you so much! Because of y'all, I _bee_ -lieve that I was able to improve :) although that improvement is not evident in this chapter ,_,**

 **Anyhow, please visit my website my lovely bees! It's in my profile! Please do give it a visit and tell me what you think about it :) I SWEAR I LOVE YOU GUYS LIKE I LOVE WATER !**


	13. Chapter 12: Linger

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!  
** **28/09/17**

 **This chapter is a little sensual? A little too adulty? (And OOC maybe, but hey it's an AU) But it isn't enough to be rated M, so I guess it's safe to read :D**

 **Please give Yonezu Kenshi's Eine Kleine** **／アイネクライネ** **a listen, as well as mafumafu's acoustic arrange for it. I have probably ranted about mafumafu, and how high his vocals can get (a height that I would like to see my grades reach one day). Anyhow, I am uploading this chapter because I know that if I don't, I never will. I have been anxiously waiting for this moment, as I feel that the next chapter will open up more stuff for this story.**

 **Yo celebrating bc ArrowBee didn't fail General Mathematics and Pre-calculus :') eek these subjects are the death of mee**

xxxx

 **Juliastes ― Oh yeh. Thanks for always reading btw! ;_; I love you Juliaaa**

 **ShadowOfDarkness2004** **― THANK YOU LOVE (don't stop the bee puns!)**

 **Afe Niel** **― Or would he? ;) thanks for reading and reviewing btw!**

 **KitsunePl** **― So glad I'm not the only one zoning out every now and then, but oml you took time to reread omg THANK YOU ILY**

 _ **kokoro neko**_ **― /to those who don't know, this is my sister on random guest accounts, and she openly admitted to me that she even pretended to be some inspired reviewer on _Of Prayers And Firsts_ (*shameless plug* hah, read it if you haven't *stops shameless plug*) in hopes that I'll update faster? Man that made me realise how bad things are going here, but hey thanks "kokoro neko"**

 **Padfoot Starfyre** **― EXPLANATION COMING UP REAL SOON/ thank you for being so patient w me I love you Padfoot!**

 _ **unknown**_ **― Aww ; u ; THANK YOU SO MUCH**

 **Minniemiss123** **― your reaction was my reaction when I found out I still got reviews ; u ; LIKE THANK YOU YOU'RE STILL READING AND REVIEWING I CAN'T EVEN/ and ooh, misunderstandings are mah faves. AND STOP. DON'T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT ABOUT YOU AI. I LOVE YOU TO BITS THAT I UPDATED TODAY!**

 _ **Patricia Walker**_ **― MY BEES I LOVE MY BEES ! Tysm for telling me your ideas omg. Mine were just a _wee_ bit similar ;D And omg stop being my bee isn't such a big thing omyleg. Please don't expect much from me :( I FEEL SO BAD NOW**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Linger**

* * *

" _Shintani Hinata?"_

The brunet smiled, a sudden rush of euphoria nipping at his senses at the thought that his old schoolmate recognised him. "U-Usui Takumi…!"

She was still standing by the doorway, whilst Hinata had already gone in. She didn't know how he would react ― their last interaction replayed in her memories, rendering her frozen and unresponsive.

As she licked her bottom lip, she could taste the remnants of the brewed coffee that her sister had bought them at the hospital's cafeteria, and upon doing so, regret came flooding in. The taste of him lingered in her mouth, and after five years of only seeing him in newspapers, magazines, and the television that he suddenly sprang up with which she could not bring herself to give away, it was too much. It was way too much to be straddling him as he lay frail on a cold hospital bed. It was too much; after having sleepless nights and cold mornings, it was too much to have his lips against hers; his hands roaming her figure, carressing her face ever so gently, as if she was china and he was afraid to break her. To have him whispering her name in a voice that only she knew ― the same voice that she would hear whenever there was only the two of them in the world ― Misaki knew that she would not be able to stand it all any longer.

"Shintani Hinata", he said once again, but this time did he break into a smile.

 _And Misaki thought she couldn't bear to see that._

And so she shunned the need to look at him, because it was too painful to remember the last time she had seen him look like that ― he was watching little children play in the park. It was snowing then, and she caught him smiling at the sky, chuckling at every little thing around him.

 _She could recall her heart swelling at the sight of him as she cleared her throat then to grab his attention ― she would be the reason why that smile would disappear._

"It's been a while", said he, and his velvety voice flowed like milk and honey, a craving of hers that hasn't been sated for a while. _A very long while,_ the intrusive voice in her head penetrated through.

"Misaki, why aren't you coming in?"

She looked up to see Hinata's gaze focused on her, and before she could chuckle nervously, the ringing of her phone beat her to it, and Misaki could only excuse herself with an awkward bow.

She felt that maybe it didn't really matter, but it still hurt to leave without so much as a word.

 _A coward,_ she said to herself. _You're a coward, Misaki._

* * *

"Suzuna?"

"' _Nee-chan, could you come fast? Kyo had a_ _wee_ _bit of an accident, and I can't ask Hinata to come in the ladies' room."_

"Y-Yeah, sure."

" _I'm really sorry, onee-chan, but please come fast."_

* * *

"So… how's it been Takumi?"

The blond's eyes didn't leave Shintani Hinata, nor did it fail to see how she left.

 _It all made sense now._

He had thought himself irrational for being irritated at the boy's conviviality, but it only made perfect sense. It made sense why the child never failed to remind him of a certain someone that Takumi almost wanted to laugh for trying to shake off the thought that the boy could pass for a "Shintani-Ayuzawa creation". It made sense why he felt trapped in his eyes. Ayuzawa was in them, calling out to him, and his eyes burned in the same way that hers did.

And fuck, he yearned for her fire to keep him warm.

He wanted it ― needed it so bad that it was almost a sin to need something that much.

" _Not really used to getting hit by trucks, so you could say it isn't really easy."_

Shintani Hinata did not know what to say, knowing that he was on thin ice with every word that came out of his mouth. Misaki never really said anything about her relationship with Takumi ― they suddenly moved away, and that was it. It was Suzuna actually, who let him know of the breakup. That was all, and not even she knew why the couple did, or even when it all happened for that matter.

"Oh."

He was dangling on the same fucking string again, and Usui Takumi berated himself for the umpteenth time as a pained voice screamed deep within him, begging him to stop the torture he had imposed upon himself.

"So, how's it been, with you… and Ayuzawa, that is."

But he didn't, and Takumi told himself that he was being a masochist, but for the wrong reasons.

"Oh, Misaki... _told you?"_

 _Was it because she introduced herself as Ayuzawa?_

"Not really", he groaned as he moved the wrong muscle, "but I've seen the little guy. Kyo, right?"

 _Was it because of the way she cried?_

The blond nodded as he listened to the man's stories about his son at daycare, and once again, that constricting feeling in his chest came with every word that flew out of the brunet's mouth.

But he didn't stop him anyway.

 _Was it because through the kiss that they shared, he had felt her love?_

"Oh Takumi, here, I found a picture of them all together ― Suzuna, Kyo, and Misa―"

"Shintani."

"Takumi?"

 _Was it because of the way she said his name?_

He has heard someone say it, probably in the hallways back at high school as he strode with his book bag nonchalantly bouncing behind his back as he held it there. _"When you find out that the person who you've been in love with for the longest time has fallen out of love with you, your pain will be like a rising hot air balloon._

 _It will continue to rise until it can't go any higher, and eventually, it'll go down and deflate. You'll get over it, probably, but then a fire will start in you again, and you're above the clouds. It isn't that 'above-the-clouds' heaven sensation, no ― you'll recognise how you are where you once were, and shit, it fucking hurts, and you're on another fucking mind journey to who knows where."_

His heart tore ― that was the number of years that they had been apart.

She fell out of love with him five years ago.

And he didn't even know when she did.

"When did you and Ayuzawa get married?"

 _Was it because she was Ayuzawa Misaki, that even getting his heart trampled on did not matter, just so he could hear about her?_

Hinata smiled. "It was a nice spring day. Five years ago, late February, and Kyo was born around January."

He could feel his heart in his ears as he tried to process the fact that she had gotten married, only two months after she had left him. "Do you have a picture… of the both of you that day?"

Relieved that their conversation was going well, Shintani Hinata browsed through his phone before flipping it to show the blond. "She gets embarrassed when other people see this picture, but to be honest, it's my favourite one."

He had only seen it for a brief moment, almost too fast for him to doubt if what he had seen was what he really thought it was, for the brunet had clumsily dropped his phone when someone knocked on the door.

"Mr. Walker, you have another visitor. Shall I let him—"

The nurse hadn't finished speaking when a lanky figure brushed her off, gallantly striding through the metal door, followed by a bespectacled man whom Takumi had expected the moment the former had entered the room.

"Dear brother, here I am―" Gerard Walker's flamboyant entrance was ruined as he raised an eyebrow at the unexpected company. "Hmm?"

Shintani Hinata's brow quirked upwards at the sound of the word 'brother', before noticing the unmistakable resemblance between the men, the only differences being the colours of their hair, as well as the pheromonal aura that each male seemed to emit.

"Oh, Shintani Hinata", the brunet bowed, before realising that the navy-haired had extended his hand for a handshake. "Uhh, Takumi's—"

"Yes, a schoolmate in high school", Gerard stated. "No need for formalities", he smiled, before his voice lowering to a volume that he could only hear, "I probably know more about yourself than you do."

Hinata could only nod slowly, taking in all the new knowledge that he had just received. "W-Walker?" he whispered to himself.

"Oh yes. That is—"

"Something very unnecessary", Takumi growled slightly, sighing as he felt exhaustion take over him again, a feeling he had known quite well, yet still something he had not been used to.

"But, you're Usui, and—"

"That's how it is going to be."

Gerard rolled his eyes as he watched the brown-haired man (who really was a child in an adult's body) fussing over the topic. _'Did he not see the name outside the room? Takumi Fucking Walker in fucking bold?'_

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. Sorry for the disturbance, and please get well soon, Takumi."

Usui Takumi smiled weakly as he watched the brunet's figure retreat before walking out of the door. He settled back, exhaling slowly as the conversation with Shintani tired him out, before the other man peeped his head back in to say a few words: "Oh and Misaki asked if she could talk to you sometime!"

"What a handful", Gerard sighed as Hinata closed the door behind him, "But seriously, I never knew that Cedric could fail at investigating. That boy is more of a puppy than Ceddy had made him seem to be."

The mere mention of her name caused his heart to beat as if he was running a marathon, the image in the Sanshita-kun's phone burning at the back of his mind. He could blame his faulty eyes later, but Takumi knew that he could not have been mistaken.

Standing there was Shintani Hinata looking his best in a suit, his smile reaching both ears as he stood hand-in-hand with his blushing wife, the woman beside him wide-eyed as if someone had said something embarrassing, and all she could do was stand there, mortified and rigid in place.

Standing there was Shintani Hinata, eyes disappearing as he smiled next to her, and that's when Takumi realised that the Ayuzawa women might just have something in common: all could blush on a whole nother level, and Ayuzawa Suzuna was no exception to that.

* * *

 **A/n: Oh crap oh crap it has been revealed! I swear if Takumi misunderstands once more I will get him hit by a train and actually get him killed for being that stupid.** **Well, stay tuned mah bees :) And oh, sorry in advance for any typos or errors! I usually check after uploading if I made any mistakes, so please do point them out!**


	14. Chapter 13: The Last

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!  
** **29-11-17, 00:04**

 **To Minniemiss123, ShadowOfDarkness2004 (I have tried my beest in this chapter *starts winking*), Padfoot Starfyre, Juliastes,** ** _Guest_** **(fork fork fork your comment made me laugh haha, thanks!), and Minniemiss123 again (HERE IS THE CHAPTER AI~! Love youu!), a huge thank you to you all for reviewing! ;_;**

 **Listen to 粉ミルクのハッピーエンド (happy end, cover by kona milk; his covers of back number songs are so good wtf) because I was listening to it as I proofread this chappy.**

 **Also, I counted the number of times I used the term "f***", and it's been 23 times from the prologue til this chapter. Good heck of a trivia.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Last**

* * *

 _;_

 _If you believe that everything's alright,  
_ _you won't be all alone tonight,_

 _and I'd be blessed by the light of your company,  
_ _slowly lifting me to somewhere new._

 _;_

Shintani Hinata pulled the door behind him with a heavy heart, his thoughts drowning out the conversation about him.

 _'Misaki wanted to talk to him? Really? That's the best you could come up with?'_

He berated himself for blurting out something so carelessly. Sighing, he shook his head, only to remember that he was alone and that she had left him in a haste. Puzzled, he scratched his head as he walked over to a vending machine. "Now where could she be? If only that man didn't arrive, then I could be waiting for her there—"

Wait, _that man._

 _Takumi had a brother?_

 _And why in the world had it only occurred to him now, that Takumi was a Walker?_

The brunet sighed once again as he pushed the machine's buttons for a can of peach tea.

 _Maybe spending too much time at the countryside wasn't such a good idea._

Grabbing his phone out of his pocket, he began to type his wife's phone number as he navigated his way to the comfort room. "Hey Suzuna. I'm outside the toilet—"

His hand gripped the device pressed to his ear.

 _"Misaki's what?!"_

The raven-haired straightened the almost nonexistent folds of her sweater once more as she approached the room. It had been about a minute since she stood in front of his door when she realised that she was stalling herself, and for the umpteenth time, Misaki looked over the name that was by the door.

 **TAKUMI WALKER**

The silence that was present made her hold her breath.

 _Hinata,_ she thought, _it can't be too quiet with Hinata._

Perhaps she would have remembered to knock before she turned the knob, but flashes of Takumi lying unconscious on the road made her neglect courtesy, and Misaki let herself in.

The sight of an empty bed greeted her, and for a few moments did she forget her reason for intruding. The room was as white as ever, looking the same as the last time she had seen it, save the bouquet of white roses that acted as the only addition to the blank room, and the bed that was now bare.

With slow steps did she approach the metal piece of furniture, eyeing the buttons and the different paraphernalia that adorned it. The duvet was moved to one side of the bed, as if someone had just gotten out of it. A single white rose was on the mattress, and for some reason she had felt inclined to take it by the hand and roll its stem in between her fingers, feeling the empty spaces on the stalk where the thorns should have been.

It was fresh, no doubt, and at the first touch did Misaki already grow a liking towards the flower. It looked too beautiful, almost too pure for such a world that it existed in. Bringing it close to her face, Misaki inhaled, the sweet familiar plant scent filling her senses.

She could swear that it smelt faintly of something else.

No.

 _It smelt faintly of someone else._

Misaki turned at the sound of something falling on the floor; she had assumed it was a card that came with the bouquet, for the small piece of decorated paper had fallen directly below it. Taking it in her hand to place it back, she noticed a small inscription on the card:

 _To Takumi ;)  
_ _Love, G_ _️_ _❤️_

A gasp left her lips as she heard her name being called, and turning around, she did not expect to face Takumi, looking just as astounded as she was. He probably came out of the toilet, and the raven-haired felt stupid for not even thinking that he could be there after all.

"Misaki?", he said again, although more audible this time.

"U-Usui, I—I just came to check if Hinata was..." she drifted off, before apologising to the man before her. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to..." she managed to croak out, dropping the small note she had found. "I—I'm really sorry... I should get going—"

She had almost reached the door when the sound of his voice made her hold her breath. He almost sounded predatory, and Misaki stopped in her tracks.

"No", he repeated, and although his voice was soft, it was firm, and he had her planted in the ground. "You can't just keep on leaving like that."

She dared not to look into his eyes, fearing that she might lose to her feelings once more.

"I—I have to—"

"Misaki, _please."_

By now she was facing his direction, and even though she couldn't see him, Misaki knew from the wavering of his voice that he was hurting, and she was bound by his words.

And she ached, because she knew that she was the reason why he was here; she knew, that like last time, she was the reason why he was once again in his most vulnerable state.

Despite not looking up, she could feel his presence towering her. Her legs felt weak, and Misaki knew that she couldn't hold up anymore. Falling to her knees, she stifled a whimper.

"Misaki, please. Look at me."

Usui Takumi winced. It took a lot from him to walk, but he ignored it all as he, like her, fell to the ground, his left hand keeping him from losing his balance.

"I know—", he let out a sharp breath, preparing himself for the words he was about to say, because somehow, saying it out loud made it hurt more. "I know that what was in the past should stay in the past, but please, would you please just look at me?"

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to pull him to her and say that she had never stopped loving him—that it was all a matter of could and couldn't.

She wanted so much to get angry at him for being such an idiot and believing her words back then, but she didn't, because she knew that even if he were to say such words to her, she would've believed him too.

But instead she lifted her head, carefully avoiding his eyes as she focused on the roses on the other side of the room, because even after all these years, her promise to the Walkers was still standing.

"Five years, Misaki." His voice was no more than a whisper, yet it was enough to tear at her core, and Misaki could feel hot tears pricking at her eyes as he stretched out his bandaged hand to touch hers, the other parting her raven tresses which hid her from him.

 _Please understand, I've been drinking again, and all I do is hope._

His eyes roamed her figure, trying to grasp at any response or reaction that she might have, but she did not at the least wince.

"You disappeared after that night, and I never saw you after that", he breathed, "so please, just this once, Misaki. You've never been honest with your feelings, so please be honest with me, just this once."

His heart stopped when she lifted her head, showing the amber eyes that he loved so much, and he couldn't decipher what it meant when he saw her tears brimming, threatening to spill at any moment.

"I'm really sorry for not being enough—I tell myself, _Fuck, if only I did all I could... if only I didn't let you go,_ but that was all in the past, and I just want to apologise for whatever reason that ended us—for whatever I did to hurt you... I'm sorry for all of that."

It took the courage and strength from Takumi to cup her face in his hand once more, and she didn't budge at the contact. Although he had found out that maybe it wasn't her and Shintani after all, he was still unsure if there was someone else, and so he took his chances, as careful as one could be, and brought her closer to him.

His lips were so close to her forehead that they brushed against her dark hair as he spoke, "One last time, Misaki. Please..." He brushed a calloused thumb across her cheek, feeling the soft dark strands of her hair as he did so against his bandaged fingers. _"Kiss me, Misaki, just one last time..."_

* * *

 **A/n: Decided to end this here cos it's funnier that way.**

 **Really, thank all you so so much for your never-ending support. Thank you so much. Thank you all and I love you.**


	15. Chapter 14: Steadfast Hope

**Kaichō wa Maid-sama!  
06/12/17, 16:54**

 **OOC warning(?) bc I couldn't do proper character exploration. Nothing like this really happened in their relationship in the manga/anime I guess, so it was hard to imagine and write it out~**

 **Words underlined are references from the song** _ **Stay**_ **by** _ **Mayday Parade**_ **, a band that I love. Sadly, due to my busy schedule in the past few months, my previous docs exceeded their 90-day shelf-life, and I can't edit the previous chapters (to mark which ones were song refs) without them, but please know that I would like to give full credit to Mayday Parade for this song which inspired me to write this fic.**

 **Also** **shoutout to ShadowOfDarkness2004 (Stop all that craze about bees. You really need to** _ **beehive!**_ **;) Hehe, lame),** _ **Unknown,**_ **Padfoot Starfyre,** _ **ohhhhh,**_ **Minniemiss123, and Crystal Amou. Thank you for reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Steadfast Hope**

* * *

 _;_  
 _Yuu and Tricia_  
 _;_

 _The blond would've laughed it off, saying that Gerard himself had written the letter, but knowing his brother, the man wouldn't do something so cruel and time-consuming, and Takumi empathised with his grandfather, feeling the pain of losing the only thing that made one continue living._

 _He felt it once again._

 _ **・・・**_

 _Raven Castle, England_

 _December XX, XXXX  
_ _Monday_

 _XXXXX, XXXXX, Japan_

 _Dear Takumi,_

 _Before you tear this paper, please take time to pay heed to my words, that they may reach you, and that, at the very least, you may learn to understand me._

 _Perhaps it is too late, especially that I have only decided to write this letter in my old age; I have a photograph of Patricia and her mother as my companions; Gerard is outside as I write, because I can't bear to be close to any of you anymore—I am too ashamed to do so._

 _You shared your father's wit and your mother's cockiness, and you reminded me so much of her that I forced myself to live believing that you were the reason why my daughter died. My sweet, sweet Patricia—the only thing that kept me going even after her mother died, and yet someone had to take her away from me._

 _And so when I found that Patricia died after birthing you, I was enraged—I had irate in my heart I had never known I could conceive. I did all in my power for your existence to be hidden—for you to seem like a null—to be a null—and so you were kept alive in secret in the confines of your relatives. The boy she had shared her looks, and as you grew older, I couldn't even stand hearing about you anymore. How you excelled in your classes... How nothing seemed to interest you... These were all traits of your mother, and instead of treasuring you and Gerard, I had you sent away to Japan; Gerard had to stay with me because he was known to all—the grandson of the Duke; the only Walker heir._

 _Your father—Hirose Yuu—was deprived of any information about you. He was simply told that his son was stillborn, and I haven't heard of him since. I had blamed him too, because he was the reason why Patricia died way too young. I had known then, that they may have fallen for each other at a delicate age, but I ignored it all because Patricia smiled more often, and that was when I realised that he couldn't provide for your mother. She was already dying because of her illness—being with a man of poverty and no history like Hirose would not do any good to her, and so I had Patricia marry Edward; it was the only way I could prolong her life, I had thought then._

 _But her love for Yuu was still alive, and I could do nothing to stop that. She loved Edward, yes, but I could see beyond that. From the change in her behaviour to her secret smiles—in her heart was still your father. You were the fruit of their love—the proof that Patricia was one to do anything just to be with the person that she loved, even if it would lead to her death. She was aware that she could not have another child after Gerard—she was too unfit to do so, but she loved you... After finding out from her trusted servants that she chose to keep you, I could not understand why she would throw her life away like that, but I do now, and now I know that she didn't just die for a shallow love affair—her love was too strong for you and your father, Takumi. She had loved you from the start, something which I have failed to do._

 _You will not find it in your heart to forgive me and call me "Grandfather" because you meant it, but at the very least, I would just like for you to know. I do not mean to justify my actions, but I want you to understand why I did what I did then, and that I regret everything that had happened. The Walker name that has been enforced on you—please feel free to live as who you want to be, and from now on I would like to give you back your freedom—something which wasn't even supposed to be with me in the first place._

 _This ring was your mother's, but now it is yours. I have heard of the woman whom you have fallen in love with—if you could find it in your heart to give this to her, please do. This was your mother's first ring from a man who isn't me; this was given to her by your father._

 _I did you too many wrongs since your birth—I am sorry for them all, and I can only hope that you can consider me._

 _I couldn't see what love was then, but someday, in whichever life, I pray that I may call you my grandson, and that you may believe it._

 _Thank you, Takumi. You and Gerard—I would like to thank you for giving me the chance to be your grandfather, even if I had abused and thrown it away._

 _May you find happiness and peace._

 _Richard_

 _ **・・・**_

 _It made the kind of sound it was expected to make as it rolled on the table, turning in circles before eventually halting to a stop._

 _"He wanted you to have it. Said it was very dear to Mother."_

 _The man took it between his fingers, and saw engraved on the metal band of gold, names he did not expect to see._

 _The ring's golden shank was home to a lot of scratches, in contrast to the spotless stone of emerald that laid secure on the metal band's prongs._

 _They were wearing away that Takumi himself was unsure if he had read right, but it was decipherable enough._

 _And it was plain to the eye to see what had once been there._

* * *

 _"Kiss me, Misaki, just one last time... if you don't love me anymore."_

The faint sound of his ragged breathing filled her ears before fading to a deafening silence as he moved away, searching in her face even the smallest response.

In his eyes she saw nothing but pain, and although she was aware that it was the right thing to do, she neglected what her rational mind told her.

She had left him with no explanation all those years ago, and even though she knew that it wasn't necessary for one to explain himself or justify his actions, Takumi was a person who deserved the truth.

And so Usui Takumi felt his heart swell when she threw her arms around him as she wailed softly, her cries muffled by his hospital gown.

 _"I—I can't do that",_ she cried, "I can't do that, Takumi. Five years—it's been five fucking years but I'm still too weak to do that." Ayuzawa Misaki pulled away from him so that he faced her, her hands on his shoulders. "I can't do that with what you said in mind, Takumi", she smiled weakly, tears flowing freely as she continued to speak, "but I can't love you either. I can't be with you—I shouldn't be with you", she hung her head low, "So if a last kiss is all you ask for—"

"No", he shook his head in disbelief, slowly pushing her away to see her face, "What do you mean you can't be with me? Is there something about me that you can't live with? Am I—"

Her hands retreated from him before falling to her lap. "It isn't anything like that, Usui—"

"Then tell me Misaki! For five years you left me hating myself, and I couldn't even do anything to get you back! What was I supposed to do? I'm so fucking tired of living—I'm so tired of waiting to die, and I can't even kill myself, Ayuzawa. You want to know why?", he raged, feeling his voice getting more and more hoarse with every word that he said. "Because I'm still hoping—I'm still hoping that one day you'll come back to me, and I'm scared that if I take my life, I won't live to see that day. I don't understand, Misaki. What do you mean you can't be with me? Did you really fall in love with someone else? Are you—", he slowed, realising that maybe, she did have a reason after all.

 _"Are you dying, Misaki?"_

She smiled, although Takumi could see the sorrow behind her actions. "If only it was that easy, Takumi. But please believe me—"

"How can you say that so easily? How can you just walk in and out of my life at your own convenience?

Five long years, Misaki. Not even a single letter—a single word about you. For five years I had to live with your words that you fell in love with someone else, but then why? Why did you let me kiss you? You can't do something as selfish as that—loving someone else while being in the arms of another man. You left your house—you left the school and your job. _You left me, Misaki, the night before our anniversary._

"It isn't even about you leaving me or anyone anymore. The fact that I didn't deserve even a single explanation..." He paused for a while, before scoffing darkly, "You really are cruel, Ayuzawa", he turned away, his tone cold and indifferent. "You know I still can't believe we both did some things I don't even wanna think about. But it doesn't matter, because in the end I'll still end up loving you anyway."

"No, please, just listen to me..."

The sight of him made her stop when she realised that he had completely turned away. He looked so weak; so frail that she couldn't imagine that this was the same Usui Takumi who jumped from the high school rooftop all those years ago. He was paler than usual; the only thing that showed that he wasn't lifeless was the reddening of his eyes, and she was bound speechless at the sight of him about to cry.

 _"You—you were going to die",_ she managed to choke out, her words fading into raspy whispers. "They sent me a letter five years ago. They knew that you wouldn't leave unless I left you like that, so I did. I couldn't say anything, because if you knew", she used the sleeve of her sweater to dry her tears, "you wouldn't leave, and they might do something", she said softly.

"For five years, I was able to do as they said. I watched you from afar, seeing you in magazines and newspapers. We moved the day I broke up with you—Mom found a new job then, and I thought it would be best to move, and so I ended all contact with everyone. I was able to do it all, and I thought to myself then, _This is better,_ because you were alive", she smiled once more. "It was better seeing you there, rather than not seeing you at all", she paused to breathe.

"And then it turns out that you bumped into my nephew, and here we are. I know that I shouldn't be here, but I couldn't just... just let you be like that. I know I'm putting you at risk just by visiting you, but I just couldn't… I couldn't just watch you from afar. I couldn't just hear about whether you're alive or not from the television… I—I couldn't, Takumi. I couldn't do that anymore", she looked down, "And… _I'm sorry for that."_

The blond sat unmoving, the gravity of her words starting to weigh on him that he was almost forgetting how to breathe. His eyes flew to Ayuzawa's face, who averted her gaze at the man's action.

"But I loved you. Please think whatever you want to think of me as, but I just want you to believe me when I say that my love for you then and my love for you now are all real. I've always loved you since high school, and I love you so much that it hurts just to say your name. I know—you deserved an explanation right from the start, but I couldn't tell you, and I'm sorry that five years had to pass before you knew. I was… _I was just so afraid to lose you",_ she paused to wipe her nose dry, "but then I ended up losing you after all."

She rested her warm hands on his, careful not to hurt him any more than she already had, _"Forgive me, please?"_

He was at a loss for words when she cried, mumbling endless apologies as she held his hands close to her.

"They—they threatened you, Misaki", his words slowly made their way out. "Who was it?"

"I—I can't—I shouldn't be telling you all this—"

 _"Who was it?"_

"I'm really sorry—"

 _"No, Misaki! Who was it?"_ He shouted, letting his anger get the best of him. "Was it my grandfather?", he growled, before his eyes widened at the thought of a particular person. _"Was it... Gerard?"_

The way that she flinched at the sound of his brother's name being mentioned told him much more than she would've. Without thinking twice about his state, Takumi bolted out of the room, and Misaki could only call his name out to protest.

 _"How could you lie and play me like that, you fucking bastard?"_

 _Fin_

* * *

 **A/n: Funny cos Takumi's actually the bastard. How ironically sweet~ Stay tuned for the next chapter,** _ **mes abeilles.**_

 **Also, I'm sorry for the misunderstandings too. I meant "end" as in, I decided to end the chapter there, but this fic isn't over yet. Like Crystal Amou said, there are still things to be cleared, said, and done :D**

 **That's for sure.**

 **Btw, anyone who can guess the dates when Gerard and/or Richard wrote the letters will get an early chapter ;) Just leave yo guesses in the review section or through PM/email :)**


	16. Chapter 15: Lemon

**Kaichou wa Maid-sama!**

 **01/04/18**

 **Shoutout to** _ **HOW DARE YOU**_ **(how dare I indeed?), ShadowOfDarkness2004,** _ **Unknown,**_ **Padfoot Starfyre, Minniemiss123, and** _ **Guest.**_ **Honestly, y'all are sweethearts :,)** **No one got the dates right btw, but thank you to those who tried! Here's a super late chapter for your hard work! chuu~ (jk)**

 **Happy Easter! Also super belated Happy Birthday to mikanlove my bday twin my bae bee! Love you!**

 **Also guys since I turned 16, I am now legal to write rated-M ;DD So here's Lemon for yah**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Lemon**

* * *

The navy-haired man recalled the brunet's words as he walked out of his brother's room, watching the sunlight seep through the building's glass doors.

 _"Oh, and Misaki asked if she could talk to you sometime!"_

He was quite sure that there was only one Misaki that his brother and that Shintani knew.

"Gerard-sama, if you would let me prepare the car."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead Ceddy", said he, his willingness to be alone evident as he dismissed the man.

"Will you really be alright, Gerard-sama?"

"I am as joyous and as well as one can get, so quit worrying yourself."

"Then, I shall dismiss myself."

He shook his head, unsure of how to react upon knowing that Misaki had made herself known to Takumi again.

The room had been poorly lit then; the place disposed to secrecy to avoid any suspicious occurrences, and so he had arranged for the both of them to meet in a discreet location.

And he winces as he remembers the suitcase of money he had brought as he met her and pretended that he was sent by his grandfather, when in fact he had only wanted to somehow ease the situation. She shook her head then, her tears spilling when she did as she said the last words he had heard from her.

 _"I'll do all that you say—just please promise me that my family will not be involved in this, and that Takumi will be safe—that Takumi will be well."_

Gerard could only nod, his façade obscuring from her the truth that he had only done such a thing to inform her, because had she not known, then it would only make matters worse.

 _"Please. Promise me that Takumi will be safe. Please."_

She left after that, and Gerard hung his head low.

 _'But things are different now',_ he thought to himself. _'Grandfather had let Takumi go.'_

And Gerard thought he had heard Takumi shouting his name, only making the guilt in him rise into shame.

* * *

 _"GERARD, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"_

The navy-haired man had yet to process his brother's words when he was suddenly thrown off his balance, his head spinning as he tried to find something to latch onto.

 _"Fuck you, Gerard",_ he seethed, landing a blow on the older man's face. _"You—you were the reason why she left. You—you fucking used your money—you and grandfather",_ his hand delved for the man's collar, _"you both were the reason why she had to move away! You fucking threatened her, you son of a—!"_

"Takumi, wait, you don't under—"

Gerard Walker's voice was still making its way out of his mouth when he felt his surroundings shatter; a deafening sensation consuming him whole as he felt blood in his nose, and tasted iron pills in his mouth.

 _"What is there to understand, Gerard?! Tell me you bastard! I only wanted one thing in life, Gerard, and you knew that—and you",_ he punched the man once more, his vision dimming as he did. _"You had to take it away from me!"_

The blood that had stained the blond's knuckles was not enough to stop him, nor did the wounds on his body that had begun to freshen did.

 _"Takumi-sama!"_

The voice that had hailed blurred in with the background, and the blond was still in the process of leaving his brother in the same state that he had once been in, that was, after he had gotten in an accident.

Cedric Morris could only do so much, prying the younger man from his bloodied brother. It hadn't been hard doing so, thanks to years of working twelve jobs that included being a bodyguard, and at the same time, the young master was injured and unfit to fight back. He had spoken into his wrist, and seconds later did uniformed men appear from every corner, aiding the great Walker heir out of the building.

"Takumi-sama."

And he sighed, because he had thought that things would finally be well between the brothers, and now it seemed that that wouldn't be the case.

 _"You."_

His voice was pained, and his eyes were weak. Usui Takumi still had his fists clenched that they were white, and he looked like he had been flogged, ironically, because he had done the flogging.

 _"You",_ he said once more, tears slipping through as he let his weight onto the bespectacled man. _"You knew about this too, didn't you?_ _You—you were part of all this too—you're fucking one of them—you came when I was so fucked up, you—you're no different you fucker—"_

"Takumi-sama, let's get you back to your room."

* * *

Her mind raced with her feet as she ran hoping to find Takumi, and her heart stopped when he came into view; a certain ochre-haired man supported him by the shoulders as he limped.

"T-Takumi—!"

She stumbled her way to the two men, letting her fall under Takumi's free arm.

 _"M-Misaki?"_

He found himself too weak to say anything but her name.

* * *

Cedric Morris had looked at the two; the man had fallen asleep as he lay on the bed, and she sat on a chair, a forlorn look upon her face.

He had turned to leave, not expecting her to say anything, and so he was taken by surprise when she did, her voice too soft for the man on the bed to awaken, yet loud enough for the one by the door to hear.

 _"Thank you. For being with him."_

He was outside the door by the time he had spoken, but he was sure he had been heard.

 _"Thank you too, for that same reason."_

* * *

The familiarity that she felt as she gazed at him, she found, was awful.

And she became aware of the fact that everything that was in the room was awful, giving her a sense of discomfort the longer she looked; the white colour that had once held so much tranquility in her heart made her anxious instead—and the smell of the hospital; the alcohol, the disinfectants—it all seemed to churn her stomach until all that was left of her was a rancorous feeling—and she could only let it consume her whole.

He was in bed once again, exhaustion rendering him helpless as he lay as peaceful as one could be, and Misaki could all but continue to watch him as he slept, and so she stood.

The sun didn't make its way through the window blinds, and all that was there to see was the shrinking sight of white as it dissipated with the rest of her emotions, leaving a numbing pain that settled at her core.

* * *

 _Mind-shattering._

He found that that was the only way to describe the pain he felt as he swallowed, something like the bitter taste of lemon somehow settling on his tongue.

But as he saw Ayuzawa standing with her back turned towards him, the taste he so resented intensified until he could feel the hateful sensation on the tips of his fingers, and it brought back how Ayuzawa felt beneath his hands.

He grimaces at a memory; there was him atop her—his lips on hers as he pushed the young woman down, and he is shocked because she lets out a giggle, and his eyes soften because he has found a spot on her neck where she was rather sensitive.

And she muffles a squeal when his lips replace his fingers that danced where he could feel her pulse, because—he had known—she had liked it to the point of pulling him close, his platinum blond hair like putty in her hands as she cried out his name in desperate whispers, because she found it embarrassing to do such a thing on her mother's couch and scream out his name.

But the Ayuzawa in front of him—the very same woman whom he loved—was not the Ayuzawa from back then, or at least, couldn't be the Ayuzawa from back then anymore.

And he knew that the world could turn upside down and inside out, but his heart would still beat to the same rhythm that hers did. He could be born a million times, he was sure, and he would still be searching for Ayuzawa in every life that he would exist in.

But that didn't matter even if she were to stop loving him, and it didn't matter if he were to get hurt every single time. He knows—he will never stop loving Ayuzawa Misaki.

* * *

"You're leaving."

His voice cut through the stupefying silence. He sounded like a wounded beast, although powerful still that she stopped in her tracks, anxious to meet his eyes.

She painstakingly turned to face him, a crestfallen look grazing his features as he lay, and even though she was metres away from him, she knew how his tired eyes would've looked like behind his messy fringe, and she knew of the little scar by his brow, a little "trophy" as he had put it, the one which he had gotten from the time when he jumped from the high school's rooftop and had successfully retrieved the picture of them; she knew that one could only see it if his eyebrows were to raise in anticipation or amusement.

But she didn't know how she might react again if she were to look him in the eyes, and so she simply stood.

 _"Will it take five years before I can see you again?"_

A pause—the only thing she could hear apart from the thundering of her heart was the machine that constantly beeped.

"I'm sorry."

He had spoken softly; his voice no more than a whisper yet she could feel it resonating in her head, expanding to every tip and surface of her body as if she were in the midst of an earthquake, and all she could do was stand motionless, simply letting his words shake her apart.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all that—that you had no choice but to do as they said. I'm sorry that your life had to change for my sake. But please, let me be selfish, Misaki. Please, please don't leave. Please stay—just— _please, stay."_

To stay, in its simplest meaning and form—to stay for a bit, to stay for a day, to stay for a week and so on, or to stay with him—to stay, in its simplest meaning and form. He didn't know what he had been asking for, but somehow, the both of them knew the answer to his request.

He wanted her to stay.

As simple as that.

He had wanted her to stay until eternity gave up on them—he had wanted her to stay for as long as the world would be so willing to give them.

 _And she knew, deep in her heart, that she could not bring herself to want to leave him too._

She knew, that she wanted to stay.

But could she?

 _Would she?_

And really, she would, if it wasn't for the red string of fate that tied and knotted them together—almost as if it would never break—yet threatened to tear if they would try to be with each other.

She loved him; she loved him so much that she would give up being with him as long as he would be safe—as long as he would be _alive._

 _And she even swore to herself that she would do it all over again, as long as Takumi was alive._

 _"I can't."_

She took another breath, and it felt so heavy on her chest that she thought she would faint.

 _"I can't stay with you, Takumi."_

"Why?" He asked in small voice.

"For the very same reason why I had to leave you—I—I can't stay with you."

"Then don't."

Her eyes flew to meet his, and he avoided her gaze as he looked at his lap.

"I don't care wherever it is that you hide yourself in", he breathed, another wave of pain washing over him as he did so. "But if you won't stay—then I'll come and find you."

None of them had realised that she had started to close the distance between them, and it was only when she spoke that he found that she had been standing by his side.

"I—you have no idea how hard this is Usui. I can't be with you—you know that. I—I'm really sorry for showing up like this, but—"

"Do I have to be close to dying for you to come back Misaki? Do things have to be this way? If I didn't get into that accident, would you have continued avoiding me?"

"Usui—"

 _"Would you?"_

"This isn't really the time for this—please, just rest—"

"Would you have done that? Because you know you can drug me right now, and I would shut up and sleep. So please, just tell me—would you have continued avoiding me?"

"I— _yes—I would have, okay?_ I would have avoided you—is that what you want me to say? Because if I wouldn't distance myself from you—you would've—I—I don't _know_ what I would do with myself if I found out that your life's at stake because of me."

And Takumi lifted his head for their eyes to meet, only to see that Ayuzawa was crying, and she was trembling so much that he had wished in that moment to be free from the state that he was in, because all he could do was watch her as she used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe her eyes dry, before setting on her face the same awkward smile he had seen from the time he had first seen her cry.

"Just—just please think about getting better right now—"

"But things aren't like that anymore—we can be together now."

"I—please Usui, just listen to me..."

"But Misaki—"

"We can't."

Her voice ran cold, bringing back the winter that she left him in after all those years, and Takumi knew he couldn't bear to lose her anymore.

"Misaki, please, just listen—"

And somewhere in his chest, Usui Takumi felt something wring his existence empty as she climbed into the space that his bed allowed, and pressed her lips to his.

 _Fin_

* * *

 **A/n: Seems real screwed up but next chapter will come up soon, and things will get better (hopefully). Signing out. Goodnight.**


	17. Chapter 16: Incessant

**Kaichou wa Maid-sama!**

 **21/05/18**

 **Shoutout to Padfoot Starfyre, _Guest,_ Crystal Amou, and Minniemiss123!**

 **Yes, I'm also tired of the drama, but I felt that wounds won't heal fast. Five years was pretty long after all.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Incessant**

* * *

"You—you can't let me do this to you."

Her words broke the silence that blanketed the both of them, and his head was clouded with every memory of Ayuzawa as she cut herself off in between kisses, and he knew that she only did so to let him breathe.

"Please—please say something, Usui. P-Please…"

He watched her for a short while; she moved above him, drops of sweat lining her forehead as her tears began forming once again, and her mouth was exploring his that all Usui Takumi could do was tuck the short strands of her raven tresses behind her ear, and let her do as she pleased, because somehow, he knew how much he wanted her too.

He felt her softness as she squirmed against him, before she collapsed lightly onto his chest.

"You—you're not supposed to—you're supposed to tell me to stop—please—you're supposed to tell me—"

 _"Don't—"_

He knew that there was bound to be something like a look of disappointment or uncertainty in her face—of which he couldn't tell as he cradled her the back of her head with his hand, the smell of her sweet shampoo filling his senses.

 _"—don't stop."_

She shuffled atop him, and Ayuzawa's muffled sobs filled the room again.

"I hate you."

The sorrow in her voice as she spoke into his skin that had been exposed couldn't have been missed, and Takumi knew that she had come to hate herself more as the temperature dropped when she stood and locked the door with a click, and then she was back, almost as if she had not gone at all.

 _"I hate you so fucking much."_

* * *

He awoke with the feel of something breathing against his neck, before realising that the two of them must've exhausted themselves to sleep.

His hand reached to stroke the bridge of her nose, to which he watched her shift in her sleep, a small smile settling on her lips as she did so, and that was when he knew that it had been long since he had last seen such an expression on her.

"Ayuzawa..."

Takumi knew how he wanted to stay in such a position, with her bare skin warming him to the core, but he knew too, that he couldn't.

 _That he shouldn't._

"Ayuzawa... _wake up."_

Misaki stirred herself awake, jolting up when she found herself lying on him.

"Oh go—I didn't realise I—"

He grunted as he adjusted himself. "It's fine."

"Usui—"

She took a deep breath, not knowing where to start as she glanced at the clothes on the floor.

"When—when you apologise for something, that only means that you regret doing what you apologised for."

She found her voice wavering, but she knew she had made her resolve.

"But I—I can't apologise, because I", her voice softened. "I'm not sorry for what happened."

Ayuzawa sat herself beside him, and Takumi watched as the colour in her cheeks returned.

"I know."

"But I won't mind", came her soft voice. "I'll understand if you hate me more for using you—"

He struggled to sit, pursing his lips as the woman before him held him up for support. She was clad in nothing but her black bra and yoga pants, and he found that he too had been shirtless in their ministrations—a statement of what had transpired between them.

"If you think that what happened between us was you using me, then I'm no better."

A single glance.

His mind flits back to what had occurred earlier.

 _There was no awkwardness present—there was only love in its rawest form, begging to be conveyed as Ayuzawa engraved the feel of her lips against his cheeks, against his jaw, and down his neck as she cried out his name in gasp-like whispers, and Takumi buried his grunts in her lips, almost as if it had been too forceful; his bandaged fingers wiped omnipresent her tears away._

 _Being away from the one you love—with no knowledge of how he or she was doing—that, they both found, had to be the most painful thing there could ever be._

 _He closed his eyes as she took her shirt off to follow his hospital gown that had hit the cold tiles not too long ago, before opening them as she pressed her forehead against his._

"And no, I don't", he continued. "Not ever."

Misaki's eyes widen at his words as she felt heat creep up her cheeks that eventually rested at the helices of her ears. _How could one be so right about her thoughts? And how the hell could he be so sure about them?_

"Even if—even if w-we... w-we didn't g-go all the way... I—I don't either. Even t-though..."

Her hand reached out to a small scratch by his clavicle, and no matter how many times his skin had already come in contact with hers, Misaki found that it would always remind her that she was made up of many bundles of nerves, for touching Usui Takumi, she had come to know, was more than painful and exhilarating, making her think that she was getting electrocuted whenever she did so.

"You—you got this from the accident, right?"

"I suppose so."

And Misaki knew deep inside that she only had herself to blame, for he wouldn't have been here had he not seen her.

To love him—that in itself was an internal battle. Being with Usui was having a raging inferno in her heart, and it hurt because she had come to terms with the fact that touching him meant that there were consequences for doing so; that alone was heaven and hell.

He heard her gasp weakly, before she spoke once more. "I know I shouldn't, but please let me do this for you."

He closed his eyes, a shrill gasp leaving him as Ayuzawa pressed her lips to the little wound on his chest, before they continued to trail to the other parts of his body where he had been hurt.

 _"Misaki..."_

It was painful on its own to have been thrown around in the snow, but to have Ayuzawa so close yet so far from him hurt a lot more, and all he could do was wallow in the torturous ministrations she administered to him—it was all too much.

Her lips grazed his temple ever so lightly, lingering before she slowly backed away, her eyes fixed on his bandaged chest.

"I—I'm really sorry—I—I know I said it a million times, and I know you're tired of this—of this situation that I put us in but I—I just don't understand—"

She paused to breathe.

"—I— _shit, I'm doing it again."_

She chuckled as she wiped a tear away.

 _"Why can't I stop loving you?"_


End file.
